Four astronauts return home after historic lunar voyage aboard NASA's Orion

NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening, April 11, 2026, safely returning four astronauts after humanity's first crewed voyage to the Moon in nearly 54 years. The capsule endured temperatures exceeding 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry before deploying parachutes to slow its descent for splashdown southwest of San Diego.

Orion commander Reid Wiseman, astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen exited the capsule in sequence after recovery helicopters and boats reached the spacecraft. All four crew members reported good health and high spirits following the nine-day mission. The USS John P. Murtha amphibious transport dock ship coordinated the recovery operation, with medical teams standing by to evaluate the astronauts before they traveled to Houston for family reunions.

The Artemis II mission achieved several historic firsts. The crew became the first people to fly on NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, and they traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, reaching 252,756 miles from home. On Monday, the four astronauts achieved a top speed of approximately 24,661 mph during reentry, approaching the all-time human speed record set during Apollo 10's return from the Moon in 1969.

Context

Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center nine days prior and did not include a lunar landing. That objective remains reserved for future Artemis missions once NASA and its commercial partners SpaceX and Blue Origin complete development of human-rated lunar landers. The last crewed Moon mission occurred in December 1972 when Apollo astronauts returned to Earth. NASA's next Artemis mission will test lunar landers in Earth orbit before a potential south pole landing on Artemis IV.

What's Next

The astronauts will undergo medical evaluations and debriefing procedures over the coming days. NASA will analyze Artemis II data to prepare for upcoming lunar landing missions and the establishment of a sustained base on the Moon's surface.