The Artemis II mission astronauts have received a hero's welcome back home in Houston, Texas, the day after they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after returning from the Moon.
It was a fiery descent lasting about 15 minutes, finishing around 7:07pm ET Friday, which NASA described as a “perfect” return to Earth for the Artemis II crew.
The crew landed in the waters off San Diego, California, before being retrieved from their spacecraft by Navy divers and transferred by helicopters to the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha.
Artemis II didn't land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13's distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission's most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.
The astronauts — NASA’s Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen — were said to be in “high spirits” as they started their journey to Earth following a record-breaking slingshot around the Moon.
Key Points
- Artemis crew is half way back home: NASA
- NASA completes final burn before splashdown
- How NASA monitors space weather in real time
- NASA posts stunning shot from Orion spacecraft
- NASA seeing 'small leak' in propulsion system
Astronauts return to Houston
23:20 , Graeme Massie
In pictures: How America reacted
11:30 , Io DoddsSome beautiful photos here of how Americans reacted to the splashdown.
Nasa shares images of joyful astronauts after splashdown
10:59 , Andrew GriffinThe Artemis II astronauts were all smiles on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown. pic.twitter.com/zajuR27pJJ
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 11, 2026
What's the schedule today?
09:00 , Io DoddsGood morning. Today the Artemis II astronauts will fly home to Houston to be reunited with their families.
We're expecting their arrival, and perhaps a press conference, some time between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time.
As for me, I’ll be signing off here. But if I may be permitted a personal comment: as someone who grew up enchanted by the romance and wonder of spaceflight, it’s been incredibly special to report on humanity's belated return to our nearest celestial neighbor.
I'm certain I'm not alone in feeling that way. I hope this was special for you too.
When do we build the moon base?
07:32 , Io DoddsThis time, we didn't land on the moon. So when will we? And what's next for NASA's long-delayed, often troubled Artemis program?
- Mid-2027: Artemis III, the second crewed test flight. Astronauts will remain in Earth orbit while they try out new space suits and docking procedures with one or more lunar landers — which will be fired separately into lunar orbit ahead of the next mission.
- Early 2028: Artemis IV, aka the big one. Once in lunar space, two of the four crew members will transfer over to a pre-positioned lunar lander and journey down to the moon's surface.
- Late 2028: Artemis V, a more elaborate moon mission. Astronauts will spend about a week on the lunar surface, conducting experiments and exploring on a pre-landed lunar roverr.
- 2029 and beyond: Moon base construction. NASA wants to slowly increase its launches to one every month or two, ferrying habitat modules and heavy cargo as it turns the moon into a permanently crewed research station — and one day, perhaps, a mining town.
At least, that's the plan. Bear in mind that Artemis II was meant to launch in 2024.
In pictures: A triumphant return
06:55 , Io DoddsMore photos of returning astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, who made history this week as the first person of color and the first woman to ever visit lunar space, respectively.
In pictures: The crew of Artemis II
06:28 , Io DoddsWe now have some lovely close-up photos of the returning astronauts, courtesy of NASA photograph Bill Ingalls.
Southern Californians: Did you hear the boom?
05:29 , Io DoddsDid you hear or feel the sonic boom of Artemis II's reentry as it streaked down towards the Southern California coast?
If so, you should tell the U.S. Geological Survey about it by filling in this form, according to earthquake scientist Wendy Bohon.
"It will say earthquake, but fill it out for the boom," said Bohon in a post on Bluesky.
'A thousand times better than Star Wars'
04:52 , Io DoddsNASA's press conference has wrapped up. We'll hear from the astronauts tomorrow.
One sweet moment was whenTimes of London reporter Jacqui Goddard asked Orion program director Howard Hu about his childhood love of Star Wars — part of his inspiration for getting into spaceflight.
Was today better for you than Star Wars, asked Goddard?
"I don't know what the number is. A thousand times better," Hu laughed.
"I shared a moment with my father. He took me to see Star Wars. He's not alive today. I wish he was, because that little kid who saw and was inspired by the stars, and now we're able to send our crew out to the stars, the farthest any humans have been.
"I mean, I can't even express just how I feel, and the goosebumps I have."
He urged "all the kids out there" to follow what they're passionate about, and hoped that some people inspired by this mission would later join NASA.
"Come work for us!" he said. "We've got a lot of missions ahead."
What will NASA learn from this test flight?
04:28 , Io DoddsNASA officials have also addressed what kinks still need to be ironed out after a successful — but not uneventful — test mission.
Chief among them: the pressure control assembly in the Orion crew vehicle's propulsion system, which suffered a non-critical helium leak during spaceflight.
"That is a new finding. Certainly, we're going to go investigate that," said Orion program manager Howard Hu. "We're going to make sure that we make some changes if necessary."
Scientists and engineers will also be closely examining the crew module's heat shield, which developed unexpected problems on Artemis but ably protected the astronauts today.
Hu and his colleague Lori Glaze, head of the Artemis program, said NASA was documenting the state of the heat shield in every possible way: aerial photos during reentry, divers wielding cameras, expert exams aboard the ship, and detailed imaging back on land.
But will they be addressing all the troubles the astronauts had with Microsoft Outlook?
'The families were as brave as the astronauts'
04:15 , Io DoddsIn his press conference, NASA official Amit Kshatriya praised not only the astronauts but their loved ones and all the people who built their vehicles and supported their mission.
Whereas the astronauts were the stars during Monday's lunar fly-by, he said, today the Orion spacecraft itself was the star of the show.
"The vehicle spoke for all of them, and at 25,000 feet per second, it said the work was good. As we say in our business, physics votes last.”
He said the astronauts' families had experienced "happiness and joy, but also anxiety" lest their loved ones never come home.
"Four families sat through those six minutes, and their courage is the same as the crew that just came home yesterday," Kshatriya said.
NASA official: 'This time we'll stay'
04:05 , Io DoddsNASA officials have said that "the path to the lunar surface is open" after a successful test mission.
In a post-flight press conference, associate administrator Amit Kshatriya hailed the "inspirational" words of the Artemis II crew and praised them for "carr[ying] the torch from Apollo... around the far side of the moon".
But, he warned: "The work ahead is greater than the work behind us. It always will be.
"53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what was left undone. Let us not go to plant flags and leave, but to stay...
"Welcome home, Integrity."
'It feels like the moon landings of old'
03:44 , Io DoddsAt a watch party aboard the historic USS Hornet, cheers and clapping broke out among the 40-strong crowd when the Artemis II crew splashed down to Earth.
Back in 1969, the Hornet was the aircraft carrier that picked up Neil Armstrong and his crew after they safely returned from humanity's first moon voyage. Today it's a museum ship moored in Alameda, California.
"It feels like the moon landings of old," the museum's chief experience Russell Moore told The Independent. "Even though we didn't go to the moon this time, it's still really exciting.
Nobody seemed nervous during the communications blackout, Moore said, although many of the children got restless.
Moore himself did feel some worry, as he vividly remembers when the Space Shuttle Columbia tragically broke up during reentry in 2002, killing all seven crew.
"The capsule was coming down and then it hit the water way faster than we expected. Everyone kinda jumped and was surprised. Then the clapping just spread across the room," Moore said.
"It's hard to explain the feeling at that exact moment. Until they hit the water and they're floating, you're not positive it's going right. And when they do, you're safe."
NY Mets put splashdown on the Jumbotron
03:30 , Io DoddsAcross the nation, people are reacting just as joyously as the astronauts themselves.
The New York Mets baseball team played footage of the splashdown on their Jumbotron, prompting loud applause and cheers from the stands.
They footage was accompanied by the famous opening fanfare of Richard Strauss's Thus Spake Zarathustra, which was used in the intro to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
'I'm so ecstatic and relieved'
03:21 , Io DoddsNASA's mission recovery director Liliana Villarreal is almost beyond words as she absorbs the safe return of Artemis II.
"I'm so ecstatic. Relieved," she said. "Our team has been preparing and working really hard, and I'm just so proud of them all."
She says that when her teams got inside the capsule, the astronauts were already out of their seats and "having a good time". They took selfies with the recovery workers, sparking "smiles all round."
"You could see they were just so ecstatic to be home and talking to everybody."
Glover and Koch wave to the cameras
03:15 , Io DoddsHere’s our first proper sight of Victor Glover and Christina Koch as they wave and grin and salute to the camera — looking simply overjoyed.
Service members applaud and photographers flit around as the four astronauts walk one by one back to the medical bay.
Hey team. Good to have you back.
.png?trim=171%2C341%2C280%2C495)
Wheels down
03:01 , Io DoddsThat’s it: Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman are now safely aboard the USS John P. Murtha.
(Correction: My last post wrongly stated they were already aboard. They were all on the helicopters, but not yet all landed on the ship. Apologies for that!)
Helicopters bring them home
02:57 , Io DoddsAll four astronauts have now been hoisted onto helicopters, and will soon be aboard the USS John P. Murtha.
Commander Reid Wiseman was the last off the front porch.
.png)
.png)
All astronauts out
02:40 , Io DoddsAll four astronauts have now exited Integrity, and are waiting on the front porch.
We can’t see much of them from the helicopter cam. Just four small figures in life jackets, surrounded by a crowd of attentive recovery crew.
.png?trim=103%2C475%2C201%2C141)
But the noise from Mission Control tells its own story. Whoopin and clapping.
“It’s a fairly raucous scene as hundreds oif flight controllers have poured into the flight control room here,” says one controller on the livestream.
“This is reminiscent of the scene after the final Shuttle mission, STS-135. But that was the end of a program, and this is the beginning of a program.”
There they are!
02:32 , Io DoddsA storm of jubilant cheers and clapping from Mission Control as the first astronaut exits Integrity.
'Front porch' is up
02:28 , Io DoddsThe front porch has been deployed.
That means should be seeing the astronauts any minute now.
Boats are teeming round the capsule, while helicopters circle overhead. The entire operation is calm, slow, and methodical.
NASA says everything is “proceeding nominally.”
.png?trim=137%2C334%2C197%2C327)
Astronauts are 'feeling great' after medical exam
02:19 , Io DoddsAll four Artemis II astronauts are "feeling great, happy to be home, and ready to be extracted", NASA has confirmed.
That report comes from a medical officer who climbed inside the capsule and examined them personally.
Christina Koch is expected to be the first one out.
Meanwhile, divers are deploying an inflatable "stabilization collar" around the capsule, in preparation for the "front porch" that will allow the astronauts to climb out and be airlifted away.
Congratulations from President Trump
02:10 , Io DoddsPresident Donald Trump has congratulated the astronauts on their safe return.
“Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II,” he posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
“The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!
“I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!”
Video: The moment of splashdown
02:03 , Io DoddsHere’s a video of the joyous moment when the Artemis II crew capsule successfully splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
The hatch opens...
01:59 , Io DoddsHatch is open, gleaming beautifully as it catches the California evening sun.
Pickup crews are climbing inside the capsule.
Roll out the 'front porch'
01:54 , Io DoddsWe’re waiting for the astronauts to emerge from the capsule.
Pickup crews have detected no hazardous gases from the vehicle.
When they exit, they’ll flomp down onto the “front porch” — a large inflateable mat rolled out in front of the capsule door.
Any minute now...
Nine days, one hour, 32 minutes
01:42 , Io DoddsWhile pickup crews circle the capsule in a small boat checking for hazards, NASA has confirmed the moment of splashdown as 5:07:27 p.m. Pacific Time,
That makes for a total mission time of nine days, one hour, 32 minutes, and 15 seconds.
Welcome home, Integrity.
Communication lost as recovery teams swarm capsule
01:25 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe recovery crews are unable to get through to the astronauts inside the capsule, although they say they can hear them. Nasa is in the process of reestablishing contact through a satellite phone.
The Artemis II crew appears to be safe and well inside the craft.
Recovery crews on their way
01:19 , Anthony CuthbertsonNasa’s live feed shows recovery crews in the background as the Orion spacecraft bobs in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II crew completes plunge to Earth
01:13 , Anthony Cuthbertson
We have splashdown!
01:09 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe Artemis II astronauts are back on Earth.
'This is a perfect descent'
01:07 , Anthony CuthbertsonNasa describes the descent as “perfect”. The three main parachutes are now bringing the astronauts safely to Earth.
Parachutes deployed
01:05 , Anthony Cuthbertson
'Houston, we have you loud and clear'
01:02 , Anthony CuthbertsonContact is reestablished with the Artemis II crew.
“Houston, we have you loud and clear,” says mission commander Reid Wiseman.
Just five minutes until splashdown.
Nasa shares visualization of reentry
01:00 , Anthony CuthbertsonWith no comms, Nasa is showing a visualization of what the reentry should look like:
10 minutes until splashdown
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:58 , Anthony CuthbertsonWe’re still in the communications blackout, but all being well, splashdown will take place in just 10 minutes.
This is the last thing we saw before Nasa lost contact:
Contact lost with Artemis II crew
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:54 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe planned loss of communications has begun as the Artmis II crew hurtle to Earth. It will last for six minutes, during which time we will have no data of the mission’s progress.
One of the last views we had before the blackout was of a reflection of the astronauts in the window of the Orion spacecraft.
The critical moment of reentry
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:48 , Julia MustoAt 7:53pm ET, the Orion Integrity craft will be 400,000 feet above Earth’s surface while traveling nearly 35 times the speed of sound. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs in the planned entry profile.
This moment marks the spacecraft’s first contact with the upper atmosphere and the start of the planned six-minute communications blackout as plasma builds around the capsule.
Six-minute blackout coming up
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:44 , Anthony CuthbertsonIn about 10 minutes there will be a six-minute blackout, at which point Nasa’s ground teams will lose contact with the astronauts. This is due to the build up of super-hot plasma around the Integrity spacecraft.
“During that period of time we will reach our peak speed,” says Nasa.
This is potentially the most dangerous part of reentry, with peak speeds coinciding with peak temperatures.
The blackout period will end at 6:59pm ET. Parachutes will then be deployed before an anticipated splashdown of 7:07pm.
Moment of separation
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:39 , Anthony CuthbertsonWe had a brief glimpse of the moment of separation, as the Integrity module successfully moved away from the support craft.
Nasa completes separation ahead of fiery descent to Earth
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:36 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe separation is complete!
“Job well done,” NASA says.
Just 32 minutes left to go.
San Diego watch parties glued to their screens
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:30 , Io DoddsAcross the U.S., and possibly the world, people will be holding watch parties for the Artemis II splashdown — and nowhere more so than San Diego.
"We’re seeing well over a thousand people already," Jim Kidrick, CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum, told Fox 5 San Diego. "We’re sharing in [the astronauts'] anxieties, happiness, the successful mission that it appears to be.
"The city's Fleet Science Center and swanky beachside Hotel del Coronado will also hold watch parties.Meanwhile, up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the USS Hornet — an Essex-class aircraft carrier which recovered the Apollo 11 and 12 crews in 1969, and which now serves as a museum ship featuring a real Apollo command module — will be screening the splashdown to guests.
"This historic event is the latest step towards returning mankind to the Moon!" the museum said.
Recovery crews on their way to splashdown site
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:26 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe navy helicopters are on their way to the splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean, ready to recover the Artemis II astronauts in around three quarters of an hour.
“We’re dead spot on down the middle of the corridor, trajectory wise, to bring Integrity down for its splashdown in the Pacific,” Nasa says.
Artemis II astronauts could very well hurl after splashdown
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:19 , Julia MustoAfter splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, the Artemis II astronauts will be extracted by Navy recovery teams using a life raft. The crew will be put in harnesses and hoisted into two helicopters overhead.
Then, the astronauts will be flown to the USS John P. Murtha amphibious transport dock ship for between 10-15 minutes. The crew will be taken into a medical bay for comprehensive examinations before they are flown to the San Diego Naval Air Station - and eventually to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
In an interview with NASA, Dr. Rich Scheuring, NASA flight surgeon, said that the astronauts had gone over medical protocol earlier Friday, including that they may need nausea medication and fluids to replace the fluid and electrolytes they've lost in space.
"One of the most common responses they get is just some stomach awareness to some nausea - even to some vomiting," he said.
"We don't expect any injuries," Scheuring added, noting that reducing speed can feel "kind of like a car crash."
Key milestones of Artemis II return
Saturday 11 April 2026 00:13 , Anthony CuthbertsonWe’re less than an hour away from splashdown for the Artemis II crew, and there are several key mission milestones coming up.
Here, from Nasa, is the rundown of the timings for the re-entry. (They’re in eastern time, so add five hours if you’re watching from the UK.)
- 7:33 p.m.: Orion’s crew module will separate from the service module, exposing its heat shield for the spacecraft’s return through Earth’s atmosphere, where it will encounter temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 7:37 p.m.: Following separation, Orion will perform an 18 second crew module raise burn beginning to set the proper entry angle and align the heat shield for atmospheric interface.
- 7:53 p.m.: When Orion reaches 400,000 feet above Earth’s surface while traveling nearly 35 times the speed of sound. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs in the planned entry profile. This moment marks the spacecraft’s first contact with the upper atmosphere and the start of a planned six-minute communications blackout as plasma builds around the capsule.
- 8:03 p.m.: Around 22,000 feet in altitude, the drogue parachutes will deploy, slowing and stabilizing the capsule as Orion nears splashdown.
- 8:04 p.m.: At around 6,000 feet, the drogues will release, and the three main parachutes will deploy, reducing Orion’s speed to less than 136 mph.
- 8:07 p.m.: Slowing to 20 mph, Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, completing the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth and a 694,481-mile journey.
- From there, teams from NASA and the U.S. military will extract the crew from Orion and fly them via helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha.
- Within two hours after splashdown, the crew will be extracted from Orion and flown to the USS Murtha. Recovery teams will retrieve the crew, assist them onto an inflatable raft, and then use helicopters to deliver them to the ship. Once aboard, the astronauts will undergo post‑mission medical evaluations before returning to shore where awaiting aircraft will take them to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The splashdown sequence
Friday 10 April 2026 23:59 , Anthony CuthbertsonWith just over an hour to go until the Orion spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, the crew members of the Artemis II mission are making the final preparations for their safe return.
Here’s how the whole sequence should play out:
What do the Artemis II astronauts do when they're not in space?
Friday 10 April 2026 23:52 , Julia MustoChristina Koch is a rock climber, surfer, runner and yogi. She's been seen climbing ice walls in Montana. Reid Wiseman enjoys a round of golf and go-carting racing, according to Baltimore. Jeremy Hansen rides sail boats and mountain bikes. He also enjoys rock climbing. Victor Glover works out and is a former Division 1 athlete. He's been seen using a rowing machine during the Artemis II mission.
The terrifying stakes of reentering Earth's atmosphere
Friday 10 April 2026 23:46 , Io DoddsIn the history of our species, 19 people have died during spaceflights. Nine of them were killed during reentry.
In April 1967, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov perished when his Soyuz 1 spacecraft slammed into the ground at high velocity because its parachute failed to open.
Seven months later, NASA test pilot Michael J. Adams lost, regained, and lost control of his X-15 spaceplane during reentry, causing it to break apart at 65,000 ft.
But the largest incident came on February 1, 2003, as the Space Shuttle Columbia was returning from a 15-day scientific mission. Two days in, NASA analysts had learned that the shuttle's heat shield was damaged during launch, but ultimately concluded there was no danger.
As Columbia screamed across the California coast at Mach 23, hot air forced its way in through the breach in the heat shield and began melting the shuttle's skeleton. Over the next 15 minutes, gradually and then extremely quickly, the spacecraft slipped out of control and was torn apart.
Astronauts Rick Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon had enough time to know that something was wrong, but not enough to correct it. They may have been conscious up to 90 seconds of wrenching impacts, horrific heat, and terror.
The disaster delayed the completion of the International Space Station and froze Shuttle flights for two years, ultimately causing the its retirement in 2011. Today there is a memorial to the crew at the Arlington National Cemetery, and an asteroid named after each member.
Astronaut portraits projected onto US embassy
Friday 10 April 2026 23:38 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe Artemis II mission is being celebrated throughout the US and beyond - from high schools, to highway overpasses.
The US embassy in Ottawa shared an image showing the portraits of the four crew members projected onto their walls, where they will remain throughout the month of April.
They went to the Moon. Tonight, they come home. 🌑
— U.S. Embassy Ottawa (@usembassyottawa) April 10, 2026
Tonight, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen splash down in the Pacific and return home after traveling farther from Earth than any humans in… pic.twitter.com/gREvRDZGwy
Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman arrives at splashdown site
Friday 10 April 2026 23:26 , Anthony CuthbertsonJared Isaacman, former space tourist and now the administrator of Nasa, has arrived onboard the USS John P. Murtha ahead of the splashdown.
Helicopters will pick up the Artemis II astronauts from the Orion spacecraft and return them to the navy vessel. The crew will then undergo medical assessments before finally being able to return to solid ground.
Sonic boom over California
Friday 10 April 2026 23:06 , Anthony CuthbertsonPeople in southern California may hear and feel a sonic boom as the Orion spacecraft shoots down into the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego.
The United States Geological Survey said the sonic boom is expected between 5-5:15pm local time.
T-minus 3 hours until you might hear and feel sonic boom(s) in southern California from Artemis II re-entry! The sonic boom is expected at ~5-5:15 pm Pacific time today, April 10. Share your experience using our Did You Feel It survey so we can understand the spatial extent of… pic.twitter.com/Tw7Xznurp9
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 10, 2026
Astronauts don 'survival suits'
Friday 10 April 2026 22:40 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe Artemis II crew members are putting on their “survival suits” ahead of reentry. All four suits have passed the leak check, so everything continues to move forward as planned.
“We are in good shape here for reentry and splashdown,” Nasa says.
There will be a communications blackout of 6 minutes as the spacecraft plummets back into the Earth’s atmosphere at a peak speed of 24,661 mph - just 130 mph short of the velocity record set in 1969 by the Apollo 10 crew on return from orbiting the Moon.
Astronaut's high school hosts 'splashdown party'
Friday 10 April 2026 22:31 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe former high school of Artemis II crew member Reid Wiseman is hosting a “splashdown party” to celebrate his return to Earth.
“While Reid will be splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, we are planning to mark the occasion here in Reid's hometown,” Dulaney High School wrote in a post to Instagram.
History-making Artemis II crew
Friday 10 April 2026 22:22 , Julia MustoPioneering NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch are the first Black man and first woman to travel to the moon. But they made history long before this week.
Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending a total of 328 days in space. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk. Glover was the first Black man on a long-duration mission on the International Space Station.
Artemis II 'dead on the center line' of splashdown corridor
Friday 10 April 2026 22:18 , Julia MustoThe Artemis II crew is 25,000 nautical miles from Earth. All systems are great and the weather is a "go" forecast.
"We are dead on the center line down the corridor," NASA says.
Artemis II crew can no longer use the toilet
Friday 10 April 2026 22:13 , Julia MustoThe Artemis II crew has "unpowered" their $23 million toilet. They will not be able to use it for the remainder of their journey. The toilet, which is also known as the Universal Waste Management System, has been a hot topic since the crew's April 1 launch. It has faced multiple issues, including a problem with its pump and wastewater dumping.
What comes after Artemis II?
Friday 10 April 2026 22:11 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe 10-day Artemis II mission has taken humans further from Earth than ever before, but it is only a precursor to even more ambitious plans.
NASA originally planned for astronauts to land on the Moon for the Artemis III mission, though delays have meant that will now take place during the Artemis IV mission in 2028.
Artemis III, which is set to launch in mid 2027, will instead be used to test docking operations with the Human Landing System vehicles: SpaceX's Starship HLS and Blue Origin's Blue Moon.
What comes next for Orion
Friday 10 April 2026 21:46 , Julia Musto
The NASA Artemis II crew have started their entry checklist 30 minutes early.
The next major milestone - at 7:37 p.m. EDT - will be a raise burn on the crew module, fine tuning the spacecraft’s angle.
That burn will follow the separation of the crew module from the service module later tonight.
Recovery helicopters prepare to take off
Friday 10 April 2026 21:40 , Anthony CuthbertsonThe recovery helicopters in the Pacific are currently preparing to take off from the deck of the USS John P. Murtha.
There will be two helicopters picking up the Artemis II crew after the splashdown, with each one carrying two astronauts back to the ship for medical examinations.
The aircraft will hoist the crew members out of an inflatable front porch of the Orion Integrity capsule, which divers will set up after the craft has powered down.
A live feed shows the weather is currently overcast, though the clouds are expected to clear by the time the Artemis II crew return to Earth.
Eight days and 21 hours into the historic mission, and all is calm aboard the Orion spacecraft. Earth is becoming imperceptibly bigger out of the capsule’s windows, with the Pacific Ocean shining brightly on the day-side of the planet.
We’ve just heard from NASA that weather in the splashdown zone off the coast of San Diego “couldn’t be better”, which is scheduled for less than four hours from now.
The next major milestone, in just under 3.5 hours time, will be the separation.
