Artemis II ends successfully as NASA completes first crewed return from the Moon’s orbit since 1972

Artemis II has marked a major milestone in modern space exploration. NASA’s first crewed mission around the Moon since 1972 ended successfully as the Orion spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen returned safely to Earth. Orion splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 p.m. local time, and mission commander Reid Wiseman confirmed after landing that the entire crew was in good condition.

Crew taken for medical checks

The four astronauts were removed from the Orion spacecraft with the assistance of a US Navy team and transferred by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations.

Following the mission’s conclusion, US President Donald Trump also shared a message on social media. Praising both the journey and the landing, Trump said he could not be more proud as president. He added that he looks forward to welcoming the Artemis II crew to the White House soon and said, “We’ll do it again, and the next step is Mars!”

A major first after decades

The Artemis II mission officially began on April 1. The Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft and its four astronauts lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. local time. The crew did not land on the Moon, but they left Earth’s orbit and traveled around the far side of the Moon, reaching regions never before seen up close by a modern crewed mission.

During the flight, the astronauts traveled about 406,765 kilometers from Earth, reaching the farthest distance ever achieved by humans in space. In doing so, they surpassed the previous record set during the Apollo 13 mission by an additional 6,602 kilometers.