Artemis II Astronauts Return Home After Historic Moon Journey

NASA's Artemis II mission completes critical test flight for Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 7:39pm

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A highly structured abstract painting in soft blues, greens, and grays, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket as they propel humanity back to the Moon.The Artemis II mission's successful journey around the Moon paves the way for future lunar landings, demonstrating the capabilities of NASA's next-generation space hardware.San Diego Today

NASA's Artemis II mission concluded on April 10, 2026, with the safe return of four astronauts who completed a historic journey around the Moon. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, marking the first time humans have traveled to the Moon in more than half a century.

Why it matters

The successful Artemis II mission serves as a critical test flight for the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, validating the hardware and systems required to sustain human life and ensure safe reentry from lunar distances. This paves the way for future Artemis missions to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

The details

During the 10-day journey, the Artemis II crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen operated the Orion spacecraft, which was launched by the SLS rocket. The mission achieved a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth at its farthest point.

  • The Artemis II mission concluded on April 10, 2026.
  • The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, at 5:07 p.m. PDT on April 10, 2026.

The players

Reid Wiseman

NASA astronaut who served as commander of the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

NASA astronaut who served as the pilot of the Artemis II mission.

Christina Koch

NASA astronaut who served as a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency astronaut who served as a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission.

Jared Isaacman

NASA Administrator who welcomed the Artemis II crew home and praised their historic achievement.

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What they’re saying

“Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement. NASA is grateful to President Donald Trump and partners in Congress for providing the mandate and resources that made this mission and the future of Artemis possible.”

— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

What’s next

NASA will use the data collected during the Artemis II mission to inform and secure the future of the Artemis program, specifically the goal of returning humans to the lunar surface.

The takeaway

The successful completion of the Artemis II mission around the Moon demonstrates the operational viability of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, setting the stage for future Artemis missions to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years.