Artemis II Astronauts Make 'Perfect Bullseye' Splashdown After Historic Moon Mission

The 10-day mission is NASA's first crewed lunar flight in over 50 years.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 12:13am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy tones depicting sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and intersecting waveforms, representing the complex forces and concepts of the Artemis II lunar mission without any text or identifiable elements.The Artemis II mission's successful return to Earth after a historic 10-day journey to the moon represents a major milestone in NASA's renewed push for deep space exploration.San Diego Today

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded today as the four-member crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, marking the first time humans have traveled to the moon and back since the Apollo era. The astronauts experienced a harrowing reentry, with the Orion capsule reaching speeds of over 24,000 mph, before deploying parachutes and making a safe landing.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in the renewed push for human exploration of the moon, paving the way for future long-duration lunar missions and potential lunar habitats. The successful splashdown also demonstrates NASA's progress in developing reliable next-generation spacecraft and life support systems for deep space travel.

The details

The four-member Artemis II crew - NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen - completed a 10-day journey that saw them travel nearly 695,000 miles, including a close flyby of the lunar surface. During reentry, the Orion capsule experienced extreme temperatures of over 5,000°F as it plunged through the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, before deploying parachutes and making a successful splashdown in the Pacific.

  • On Monday, the Artemis II astronauts set a new record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans - 252,756 miles, surpassing the previous mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
  • At 7:53 p.m. ET, the Orion capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere, triggering a six-minute communications blackout as plasma built up around the spacecraft.
  • At 8:03 p.m. ET, the drogue parachutes deployed to slow and stabilize the Orion crew module.
  • At 8:04 p.m. ET, the three main parachutes opened, reducing the capsule's speed to less than 136 mph.
  • At 8:07 p.m. ET, the Artemis II crew splashed down 50 to 70 miles off the coast of San Diego.

The players

Reid Wiseman

NASA commander of the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

Pilot of the Artemis II mission.

Christina Koch

Mission specialist on the Artemis II crew.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency mission specialist on the Artemis II crew.

Amit Kshatriya

NASA's associate administrator, who discussed the critical reentry process.

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What they’re saying

“The Orion spacecraft will enter the Earth's atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour. That heat shield … will bear the full force of that reentry. Every system we've demonstrated over the past nine days — life support, navigation, propulsion, communications — all of it depends on the final minutes of flight.”

— Amit Kshatriya, NASA Associate Administrator

“We have a great view of the moon out of window 2. Looks a little smaller than yesterday.”

— Reid Wiseman, NASA Commander

“Guess we'll have to go back.”

— Jacki Mahaffey, Artemis II Chief Training Officer

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in NASA's Artemis program, paving the way for future long-duration lunar exploration and potential lunar habitats. The safe return of the four-person crew after their record-breaking journey to the moon and back demonstrates the progress being made in deep space travel capabilities.