Artemis II astronauts return safely after historic lunar orbit mission

The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission safely returned to Earth on Saturday (April 11), completing a historic journey around the Moon in a major milestone for human space exploration.

The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, at 6:07am (Bangladesh time), marking the first crewed lunar orbit mission in more than half a century.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman confirmed all crew members were in stable condition following the landing. “It was an incredible journey—we’re all doing well,” he said.

The crew included Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen. Recovery operations began immediately after splashdown, with astronauts extracted from the capsule, transferred to a recovery raft, and then airlifted to the US Navy vessel USS John P. Murtha for initial medical checks.

They are expected to be flown to Johnson Space Center in Houston for further evaluation.

Launched on April 1, the 10-day mission saw the crew travel to the far side of the Moon, reaching a maximum distance of 252,757 miles from Earth—surpassing the previous record set during the Apollo 13 mission.

The mission also marked several historic firsts: Glover became the first person of colour, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to orbit the Moon.

During the mission, astronauts also observed multiple bright meteor impacts on the lunar surface, adding to the mission’s scientific and experiential value.

Artemis II is a key preparatory step in NASA’s broader plan to return humans to the Moon, with a goal of landing astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028.