NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century came to a triumphant close Friday evening as the astronauts of Artemis II safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.The crew aboard the Orion capsule completed a parachute-assisted splashdown at 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) off the coast of San Diego, marking the successful end of a 10-day mission that carried humans around the Moon and back for the first time in the Artemis era.“Houston, Integrity… We have you loud and clear,” said mission commander Reid Wiseman as communications were reestablished with mission control during the spacecraft’s final descent toward Earth.The astronauts onboard included Commander Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, all of the U.S., and Jeremy Hansen of Canada.Video below: Watch as Artemis II astronauts emerge from Orion capsule after historic moon missionFiery Reentry and Precise LandingThe spacecraft began the critical reentry sequence earlier in the evening. At 7:33 p.m., Orion’s crew and service modules separated, allowing the crew module to continue toward Earth while the service module burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Mission planners designed the return trajectory to ensure any remaining debris posed no risk to land or shipping lanes.Minutes earlier, Orion completed a communications handover from NASA’s NASA Deep Space Network to the Near Space Network via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system to maintain contact as the capsule approached Earth.The spacecraft reached the upper atmosphere at 7:53 p.m., about 400,000 feet above Earth and traveling roughly 35 times the speed of sound. As expected, plasma forming around the spacecraft during intense heating caused a brief communications blackout lasting about six minutes.At 8:03 p.m., drogue parachutes deployed at 23,400 feet, stabilizing the spacecraft and slowing its descent. Moments later, at 5,400 feet, Orion’s three main parachutes opened, reducing its speed to under 200 feet per second for the final splashdown.Video below: See the splashdownRecovery Operations UnderwayFollowing splashdown, engineers conducted initial safety checks before beginning power-down procedures on the capsule. Recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. military quickly moved toward the spacecraft in inflatable boats.Once the spacecraft is deemed safe, Navy divers will attach a winch line to the capsule, allowing it to be pulled into a specially designed cradle within the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26).Eventually, the astronauts were lifted from the capsule and flown by helicopter to the ship, where they underwent post-mission medical evaluations. Once onshore, they will travel to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for further debriefings and analysis.After recovery operations conclude, Orion will be transported to Naval Base San Diego and later returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where engineers will conduct a detailed inspection, retrieve mission data, and examine the spacecraft following its deep-space flight.W2lmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vaGVhcnN0dGVsZXZpc2lvbmRhdGFqb3VybmFsaXNtLmh0dmFwcHMuY29tL21vb24tbW9kZWwvaW5kZXguaHRtbCIgc2Nyb2xsaW5nPSJubyIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIHN0eWxlPSJtaW4td2lkdGg6IDEwMCUgIWltcG9ydGFudDsgYm9yZGVyOiBub25lOyBoZWlnaHQ6OTAwcHg7IiBdWy9pZnJhbWVd “This Is Just the Beginning”Speaking after the successful landing, Jared Isaacman praised the crew and emphasized the historic importance of the mission.“I think about our crew members that we’ve all had the opportunity to observe over the last ten days,” Isaacman said. “They’re absolutely professional astronauts—wonderful communicators, almost poets. These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there.”Isaacman added that the successful mission marks the start of a new era of lunar exploration.“I can’t imagine a better crew than the Artemis II crew that just completed a perfect mission. This is a huge moment for everybody. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them back safely,” he said. “And this is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. This is just the beginning. We’re going to do this with frequency, sending missions to the Moon until we land on it in 2028 and start building our base.”Video below: NASA officials provided an update following the successful splashdown. See the full briefing belowWith Artemis II complete, NASA now turns its focus to the next missions in the Artemis program, which aim to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon.After they successfully splashed down, President Donald Trump posted on social media to congratulate the crew and to look toward the next steps in space exploration. “Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!” the president wrote in a post to Truth Social. “I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!”
NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century came to a triumphant close Friday evening as the astronauts of Artemis II safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
The crew aboard the Orion capsule completed a parachute-assisted splashdown at 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) off the coast of San Diego, marking the successful end of a 10-day mission that carried humans around the Moon and back for the first time in the Artemis era.
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“Houston, Integrity… We have you loud and clear,” said mission commander Reid Wiseman as communications were reestablished with mission control during the spacecraft’s final descent toward Earth.
The astronauts onboard included Commander Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, all of the U.S., and Jeremy Hansen of Canada.
Video below: Watch as Artemis II astronauts emerge from Orion capsule after historic moon mission
Fiery Reentry and Precise Landing
The spacecraft began the critical reentry sequence earlier in the evening. At 7:33 p.m., Orion’s crew and service modules separated, allowing the crew module to continue toward Earth while the service module burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Mission planners designed the return trajectory to ensure any remaining debris posed no risk to land or shipping lanes.
Minutes earlier, Orion completed a communications handover from NASA’s NASA Deep Space Network to the Near Space Network via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system to maintain contact as the capsule approached Earth.
The spacecraft reached the upper atmosphere at 7:53 p.m., about 400,000 feet above Earth and traveling roughly 35 times the speed of sound. As expected, plasma forming around the spacecraft during intense heating caused a brief communications blackout lasting about six minutes.
At 8:03 p.m., drogue parachutes deployed at 23,400 feet, stabilizing the spacecraft and slowing its descent. Moments later, at 5,400 feet, Orion’s three main parachutes opened, reducing its speed to under 200 feet per second for the final splashdown.
Video below: See the splashdown
Recovery Operations Underway
Following splashdown, engineers conducted initial safety checks before beginning power-down procedures on the capsule. Recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. military quickly moved toward the spacecraft in inflatable boats.
Once the spacecraft is deemed safe, Navy divers will attach a winch line to the capsule, allowing it to be pulled into a specially designed cradle within the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26).
Eventually, the astronauts were lifted from the capsule and flown by helicopter to the ship, where they underwent post-mission medical evaluations. Once onshore, they will travel to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for further debriefings and analysis.
After recovery operations conclude, Orion will be transported to Naval Base San Diego and later returned to NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where engineers will conduct a detailed inspection, retrieve mission data, and examine the spacecraft following its deep-space flight.
“This Is Just the Beginning”
Speaking after the successful landing, Jared Isaacman praised the crew and emphasized the historic importance of the mission.
“I think about our crew members that we’ve all had the opportunity to observe over the last ten days,” Isaacman said. “They’re absolutely professional astronauts—wonderful communicators, almost poets. These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there.”
Isaacman added that the successful mission marks the start of a new era of lunar exploration.
“I can’t imagine a better crew than the Artemis II crew that just completed a perfect mission. This is a huge moment for everybody. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them back safely,” he said. “And this is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. This is just the beginning. We’re going to do this with frequency, sending missions to the Moon until we land on it in 2028 and start building our base.”
Video below: NASA officials provided an update following the successful splashdown. See the full briefing below
With Artemis II complete, NASA now turns its focus to the next missions in the Artemis program, which aim to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon.
After they successfully splashed down, President Donald Trump posted on social media to congratulate the crew and to look toward the next steps in space exploration.
“Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!” the president wrote in a post to Truth Social. “I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!”
