Friday April 10, 2026 | SAN DIEGO, CA [Posted at 9:24 pm PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
On schedule and with full success, the four Artemis II astronauts arrived back to Earth precisely on time and in good form.
The Orion capsule with the Artemis II crew on board entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 mph. there was an expected six-minute lost of communication.
The capsule then relied on three parachutes to open as a way to slow the descent of the capsule.
That all deployed well, and the capsule splashed down into the Pacific Ocean precisely on time at 5:07 pm PT.
The length of the mission was approximately nine days and one hour from the April 1 lift off that had taken place from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Mission control in Houston, Texas was pleased to see their astronauts successfully back on this planet after their Moon flyby that took them farther than any humans have ever traveled before. They surpassed the previous distance record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
Retrieval of the crew from the spacecraft in open water took place using boats, helicopters and a navy ship the USS John P Murtha — a combined effort of NASA and the US military. The four astronauts were airlifted into helicopters for transport to the ship. All of it was captured on camera and livestreamed for the world to watch.
About 80 personnel were on the water to help with the retrieval process of the astronauts.
All four crew members — Commander Reid Wiseman; Pilot Victor Glover; Mission Specialist Christina Koch; and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. Hansen is the only Canadian on board — were able to walk from the helicopters to their next mode of transportation, with some minor assistance.
The first to emerge from the capsule was Koch, followed by Hansen, then Glover then Wiseman (commander last). The first to emerge off one of the helicopters was also Koch, then Glover, then Hansen, then Wiseman.
The astronauts will be medically checked out in San Diego, California this evening and then arrive back at the Johnson Space Center n Houston tomorrow Saturday April 11.
The astronauts will meet with their families and mission control when back in Houston.
NASA looks to Artemis III:
“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,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a statement this evening.
“With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again,” said Isaacman.
Artemis III in 2027 will focus on docking. Artemis IV in 2028 has the goal of landing on the Moon. Artemis V will be about setting up a moon base.
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- Artemis II from Earth to Moon and back: Day 4 update (April 4, 2026)
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- Artemis II: Day 3 meals & tech work (April 3, 2026)
- Artemis II: Col Jeremy Hansen says “It was a great burn!” (April 2, 2026)
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- Artemis Mission Updates (NASA)
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