Artemis II Astronauts Welcomed Home to Houston After Historic Moonshot

The four-person crew completed a 9-day mission around the moon, the first piloted flight since the Apollo program.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 12:08am

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A highly structured abstract painting in soft, flat colors depicting sweeping geometric arcs, concentric planetary circles, and precise spirals, conveying the structural order of the universe without using any text or symbols.The Artemis II mission's historic journey around the moon, captured in a bold, abstract visual that evokes the majesty and precision of deep space exploration.San Diego Today

The Artemis II astronauts, including commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday to a cheering crowd of family and colleagues. The crew had just completed a historic 9-day mission around the moon, the first piloted flight to the lunar surface since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago.

Why it matters

The successful Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in NASA's renewed efforts to establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon, paving the way for future Artemis missions that will land astronauts on the lunar surface. This mission demonstrated the capabilities of the new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, and provided valuable insights that will inform future deep space exploration.

The details

The Artemis II crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1 and spent a day in Earth orbit before firing the Orion's engines to propel themselves towards the moon. They flew within 4,000 miles of the lunar surface, setting a new record for the farthest distance a crewed spacecraft has ever traveled from Earth. During their time in lunar orbit, the astronauts captured thousands of photos and videos, and made observations that will aid future missions.

  • The Artemis II crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026.
  • The crew spent a full day in Earth orbit before firing the Orion's engines to break away for the moon.
  • The Orion spacecraft entered the moon's gravitational sphere of influence early on April 7, 2026.
  • The crew flew within 4,000 miles of the lunar surface, setting a new distance record of 252,756 miles from Earth.
  • The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego on April 11, 2026.

The players

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, who has previously flown to the International Space Station.

Victor Glover

A deeply spiritual astronaut who carried a Bible with him to the moon.

Christina Koch

An astronaut who was struck by the sight of Earth suspended in the blackness of space.

Jeremy Hansen

A Canadian astronaut who was part of the Artemis II crew.

Jared Isaacman

The NASA Administrator who welcomed the Artemis II crew back to Houston.

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What they’re saying

“After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on, and NASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon and bringing them home safely.”

— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

“I have absolutely no idea what to say. Twenty-four hours ago, the Earth was...out the window and we were doing mach 39 (times the speed of sound), and here we are back at Ellington at home.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander

“And I want to thank God again, because even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did and being with who I was with, it's too big to just be in one body.”

— Victor Glover, Artemis II Astronaut

“When we saw tiny Earth, people asked our crew what impressions we had. And honestly, what struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe.”

— Christina Koch, Artemis II Astronaut

“This continues to be unreal. The sun has gone behind the moon, and the corona is still visible, and it's bright, and it creates a halo almost around the entire moon...The Earth is so bright out there and the moon is just hanging in front of us, this black orb out in front of us. We can see stars and the planets behind it.”

— Victor Glover, Artemis II Astronaut

What’s next

NASA plans to build on the success of the Artemis II mission by launching the Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program. The Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon, paving the way for future deep space exploration missions to Mars.

The takeaway

The Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in NASA's renewed efforts to return humans to the moon, demonstrating the capabilities of the new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. The crew's awe-inspiring observations and experiences during their historic journey around the moon have captured the public's imagination and reignited excitement for space exploration.