Artemis II Crew Splashes Down Off San Diego After Historic Moon Mission

The Orion spacecraft returned to Earth at 25,000 mph, concluding a record-breaking journey around the moon.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 8:16pm

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An abstract, geometric painting in soft blues, greens, and grays, depicting the Artemis II spacecraft's orbital path around the moon through sweeping arcs and concentric circles, conveying the scale and precision of the historic mission.The Artemis II mission broke new ground, sending astronauts farther from Earth than ever before and paving the way for future lunar exploration.San Diego Today

The Artemis II crew of four astronauts, including the first woman and first Black man to orbit the moon, splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening after a historic mission to the lunar surface. The Orion spacecraft, nicknamed Integrity, hit the atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound before deploying parachutes and airbags for a gentle landing, where they were retrieved by the U.S. Navy.

Why it matters

The successful Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plan to establish a sustained human presence on the moon, paving the way for future Artemis missions that will land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972. The mission also broke several records, including the first woman and first Black man to orbit the moon.

The details

The Orion spacecraft, carrying Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 mph before deploying parachutes and airbags for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. Navy divers retrieved the astronauts from the capsule and transported them by helicopter to the amphibious dock ship USS John P. Murtha for medical exams.

  • The Orion spacecraft splashed down at 5:07 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, April 11, 2026.
  • The astronauts were retrieved from the capsule and transported to the USS John P. Murtha by around 6:30 p.m. Pacific time on Friday.

The players

Artemis II

The second mission in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon.

Orion spacecraft

The crew capsule that carried the Artemis II astronauts to the moon and back, nicknamed "Integrity".

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

The pilot of the Artemis II mission, the first Black man to orbit the moon.

Christina Koch

An Artemis II astronaut, the first woman to orbit the moon.

Jeremy Hansen

A Canadian astronaut on the Artemis II mission, the first Canadian to go around the moon.

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What they’re saying

“We choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long lived.”

— Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency astronaut

What’s next

NASA is working towards Artemis III, a low Earth orbit flight next year to test the Orion spacecraft and its rendezvous and docking with moon landers. Artemis IV in 2028 will mark the first time humans step on the moon in over 50 years.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plan to establish a sustained human presence on the moon, paving the way for future Artemis missions that will land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972.