Artemis II Crew Praises Moonship's Performance

Astronauts highlight heat shield's resilience during fiery reentry from lunar flyby.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 8:06am

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A bold, abstract painting in soft blues, greens, and oranges depicting the complex forces and dynamics of a spacecraft reentering Earth's atmosphere, with sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise spiraling waveforms conveying the structural order and power of the universe.The Artemis II crew's successful return to Earth showcases the resilience of NASA's technology and the agency's commitment to sustainable lunar exploration.Houston Today

The four-person crew of NASA's Artemis II mission, which completed a historic lunar flyby in April 2026, praised their Orion spacecraft's performance during the high-speed reentry through Earth's atmosphere. The astronauts, including the first Canadian to travel to the Moon, said the heat shield withstood the intense heat and forces of reentry without major damage, putting NASA in a strong position for future Artemis missions aimed at establishing a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.

Why it matters

The successful Artemis II flight was a critical milestone in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era. The crew's positive assessment of the Orion spacecraft's capabilities, especially the heat shield's resilience, boosts confidence in the agency's plans for more ambitious lunar exploration and the eventual establishment of a permanent Moon base.

The details

During their first news conference since returning to Earth, the Artemis II crew - three Americans and one Canadian - said they saw only minor charring on the heat shield as their Orion capsule, nicknamed 'Integrity', plunged through the atmosphere at 39 times the speed of sound. Commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover reported seeing 'maybe two moments of a touch of char loss' on the heat shield, which they closely inspected after splashdown. The crew said the reentry was 'scary and risky' but the heat shield performed exceptionally well, putting NASA in a strong position for future Artemis missions.

  • The Artemis II crew launched to the Moon from Florida on April 1, 2026.
  • The crew's Orion capsule parachuted into the Pacific Ocean on April 14, 2026, completing the nearly 10-day voyage.
  • The Artemis II crew's Houston homecoming on April 15, 2026 coincided with the 56th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 13.

The players

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, who described the 'majestic, gorgeous' sight of the Moon and the 'scary and risky' reentry through Earth's atmosphere.

Victor Glover

The pilot of the Artemis II mission, who compared the sensation of reentry to 'diving backward off a skyscraper'.

Christina Koch

One of the American astronauts on the Artemis II crew, who said the successful mission has made the team 'even more excited and just ready to take that on as an agency'.

Jeremy Hansen

The first Canadian astronaut to travel to the Moon, who cautioned that future crews will have to 'understand it can get real bumpy real fast' during lunar missions.

Orion Capsule

The spacecraft that carried the Artemis II crew to the Moon and back, which the astronauts nicknamed 'Integrity'.

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What they’re saying

“Being 252,000 miles away from home was the most majestic, gorgeous thing that human eyes will ever witness.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander

“You just want to hold your kids and you just want them to know that you're safe.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander

“That's what it felt like for five seconds.”

— Victor Glover, Artemis II Pilot

“We're not going to be able to pound everything flat before we go. We're going to have to trust each other.”

— Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II Astronaut

“We made it happen.”

— Christina Koch, Artemis II Astronaut

What’s next

NASA is already working on Artemis III, the next step in its grand moon base-building plans. The platform from which the rocket launches headed back Thursday to Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepped for next year's Artemis launch. Artemis III will remain in orbit around Earth as astronauts practice docking their Orion capsule with one or two lunar landers in development by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II mission has boosted confidence in NASA's plans to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon, with the crew's positive assessment of the Orion spacecraft's performance during the high-speed reentry a key milestone. Future Artemis crews will have to be prepared for potential challenges, but this mission has demonstrated the resilience of the technology and the commitment of the astronauts to push the boundaries of lunar exploration.