Trump Celebrates Artemis II Splashdown, Looks Ahead to Mars

The former president praised the astronauts' safe return and teased the next steps in the Artemis program.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 9:24am

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A highly structured abstract painting in muted earth tones, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric planetary circles, and precise botanical spirals, conveying the complex forces and concepts behind NASA's Artemis program and the future of human space exploration.Former President Trump's enthusiastic response to the Artemis II splashdown reflects the growing public anticipation for NASA's ambitious plans to return humans to the Moon and eventually send them to Mars.Houston Today

Former President Donald Trump celebrated the successful splashdown of NASA's Artemis II mission, congratulating the astronaut crew and looking ahead to future missions, including a potential crewed mission to Mars. The Artemis II spacecraft returned to Earth on Friday night after a 10-day lunar flyby, with NASA describing the descent and landing as a "textbook touchdown." Trump took to social media to praise the mission and invite the astronauts to the White House.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission was a critical milestone in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a long-term presence there. Trump's enthusiastic response and call for a mission to Mars highlight the political significance of the Artemis program and the potential for space exploration to capture the public's imagination.

The details

The Artemis II spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday night, completing a successful 10-day lunar flyby mission. The four-person crew, including commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, were recovered from the capsule about an hour after splashdown and flown to a nearby Navy ship for medical evaluations before returning to shore.

  • The Artemis II spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 11, 2026 at 8:07 p.m. EDT.
  • The crew spent 10 days in orbit around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission.

The players

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States, who praised the Artemis II mission and called for future missions to Mars.

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, who led the four-person crew on the 10-day lunar flyby.

Jared Isaacman

The NASA Administrator, who expressed enthusiasm for the Artemis program and the future of lunar exploration.

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What they’re saying

“Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. We'll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!”

— Donald Trump, Former President of the United States

“Childhood Jared right now can't believe what I just saw. This is just the beginning. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon, bringing them back safely.”

— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

What’s next

The Artemis III mission is scheduled for mid-2027 and will focus on testing docking between the Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers. NASA is also advancing technologies to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s, though there is no set mission timeline for a crewed mission to the red planet.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II mission has reignited enthusiasm for the Artemis program and the prospect of future human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. While a crewed mission to Mars remains a long-term goal, the Artemis program's focus on returning to the Moon represents an important step towards expanding humanity's presence in space.