NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have returned safely to Earth, completing the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years.
The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:07pm local time (00:07 GMT) on Friday, following a high-speed re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.
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Recovery teams were already in position, moving quickly to secure the capsule and bring the crew aboard.
On board were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Minutes before re-entry, Wiseman, the mission commander, radioed mission control: “We got a great view of the Moon out window 2 – looks a little smaller than yesterday.”
“Guess we’ll have to go back,” came the reply from Houston.
The return marked a crucial test for the Orion spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, demonstrating it can safely withstand the intense conditions of a lunar re-entry.
The capsule endured a dramatic 13-minute descent, slamming into the atmosphere at extreme speed. Temperatures on its exterior climbed to about 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to generate a plasma layer that briefly cut off communications with the crew.
Contact was restored as parachutes deployed, slowing Orion’s descent before it gently hit the ocean.
Recovery crews later opened the hatch and began extracting the astronauts, who reported minor communication issues but were otherwise in good condition.
“We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely and [are] set up for a series more,” said NASA chief Jared Isaacman from a US Navy recovery ship.
The four astronauts launched just over a week ago from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, embarking on a 10-day journey that took them farther from Earth than any humans since the Apollo era.
They travelled around the far side of the Moon, testing systems designed for future missions, before heading back to Earth.
A new perspective on Earth
Artemis II is widely seen as a critical test flight for future Moon missions, particularly Artemis IV, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era.
Engineers will now analyse key data from the mission, including the performance of the Orion capsule’s heat shield as well as navigation systems and life-support technology, all essential for safely carrying humans deeper into space.
The return also included one of the most challenging phases of the journey: a brief communication blackout during re-entry, caused by intense heat building up around the spacecraft.
But on top of its record-setting distance, the mission also marked other historic firsts. Glover became the first person of colour to travel around the moon, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American.
During their journey, the crew reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse as well as meteorite impacts.
Mission commander Wiseman reflected that “what we really hoped in our soul is that we could, for just a moment, have the world pause – and remember that this is a beautiful planet in a very special place in our universe”.
“We should all cherish what we have been gifted.”
Every morning since the astronauts’ departure, NASA has sent a song to Artemis II to start the day.
On Friday, the astronauts awoke to the tune of Live’s song Run to the Water and the country hit Free, by Zac Brown Band.
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