Artemis II astronauts return to Earth after historic 10-day moon flyby mission

Artemis II crew makes a splashdown after a 10-day moon flyby mission onboard the Orion capsule, the first humans to do so in over five decades.

Artemis II was especially unique for Christina Koch, who becomes the first woman along with Victor Glover, the first Black man to orbit the moon.

NASA launched the Artemis II spacecraft carrying four astronauts on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a 10-day moon mission flying around the far side of the moon.

Artemis II crew onboard the Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at 5:07 P.M. PDT (8:07 P.M. EDT) on Friday, April 10, 2026.

NASA Artemis II's four astronauts included Mission Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from Canadian Space Agency.

However, the voyage was especially historic for Artemis II two astronauts as they became the first Black man and first woman to go to the moon.

NASA shared the epic snaps of Artemis II crew after they were rescued by the U.S. Navy during the splashdown.

NASA now eyes sending astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2028, thus establishing a permanent lunar base on Artemis III.

Artemis II was unique in many ways, as it orbited the far side of the moon and then successfully returned to Earth, the first by any human ever.