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The four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on April 10, 2026, completing the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years and marking a major milestone in the agency’s plan to return humans to the lunar surface.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch of NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency launched aboard the Orion spacecraft — nicknamed Integrity by the crew — on April 1st from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The 10-day mission took them on a looping trajectory around the Moon, reaching a record distance of approximately 252,760 miles from Earth — farther than any humans have traveled since Apollo 13 in 1970 — before heading home.

Let's run that back. One more time… Or two?
Our crew is now safely back on Earth. Relive the historic mission, and keep an eye on our website as more images and videos keep rolling in. https://t.co/FoYXKVvve5 pic.twitter.com/svDaL8ZXpc

— NASA (@NASA) April 11, 2026

The crew did not land on or enter lunar orbit but conducted a distant flyby, passing within about 4,070 miles of the lunar surface at closest approach. During the journey, they tested Orion’s life-support systems, navigation, and heat shield in deep space while capturing stunning images of Earth and the Moon. The spacecraft traveled a total of roughly 694,481 miles before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 25,000 mph and splashing down at 8:07 p.m. EDT on April 10.

🇺🇸🇺🇸 Welcome home! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/umHIWqm2sO

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 11, 2026

Recovery teams aboard the USS John P. Murtha ship retrieved the capsule from the ocean. All four astronauts were reported in good health and were undergoing post-flight medical checks before flying back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Artemis II may have splashed down, but our photos and videos from the mission are still rolling in! Keep an eye on the latest: https://t.co/rzM1P0QbOl pic.twitter.com/HahXb0gCYC

— NASA (@NASA) April 11, 2026

The mission’s success sets the stage for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon as early as 2027 or 2028 (enough time for the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System to become ready for operational missions, it is currently undergoing development).

During the Artemis II flight, the crew shared breathtaking photographs taken from inside the Orion capsule. One image captured both the Moon and Earth in the same frame through adjacent windows. On April 11, shortly after the crew’s return, Commander Reid Wiseman replied to a post by Cosmic Chronicles journalist Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo (@JaneidyEve) on 𝕏 social media that featured a photograph. He provided technical details of how he captured the shot: “I took that single photo with a wide angle 14-24mm lens….the moon was out window 3 and the earth was out window 4. I didn’t know it got downlinked! AMAZING!” He wrote in response to the beautiful photograph, linked below. The reply highlighted the spontaneous nature of the crew’s photography and the excitement of seeing the images transmitted back to Earth in near real time.

I took that single photo with a wide angle 14-24mm lens….the moon was out window 3 and the earth was out window 4. I didn’t know it got downlinked! AMAZING!

— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 11, 2026

NASA officials described the mission as a complete success, with Orion performing flawlessly through high-speed re-entry and the crew demonstrating the spacecraft’s readiness for future lunar expeditions. The Artemis II flight paves the way for sustained human presence on and around the Moon as part of NASA’s broader exploration goals.

Stunning photos of the Moon & Earth by NASA Artemis II Astronauts https://t.co/qxu5crlLUO pic.twitter.com/SE29VCUHVF

— Evelyn Janeidy (@JaneidyEve) April 7, 2026

The Moon and planet Earth photographed by NASA Artemis II Astronaut Reid Wiseman.

Author’s note: Thanks for reading Cosmic Chronicles. Write your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have story suggestions or feedback, Direct Message me on social media 𝕏: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo @JaneidyEve. Read the most recent stories featured below. Thank You.