Photo: Getty Images
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have safely returned to Earth after completing their nine-day mission, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The Orion spacecraft landed off the coast of San Diego after a tense re-entry, including a brief communications blackout. All four crew members are reported to be in good condition and are undergoing medical checks aboard the USS John P. Murtha.
During the mission, the crew flew around the Moon, reaching a record distance of over 406,000 km from Earth — the farthest humans have traveled in space. The flight is seen as a major step toward future deep-space missions, including a potential journey to Mars.
The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Koch became the first woman to travel to the Moon, while Glover is the first Black astronaut on a lunar mission, and Hansen the first non-American to leave Earth orbit.
US President Donald Trump congratulated the astronauts and invited them to the White House, calling the mission “impressive” and hinting that the next step could be Mars.
