NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully completes lunar flyby; Splashes down off California Coast
A NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts splashed down safely off the California coast on Friday, April 10, 2026, marking the successful completion of the Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. The crew, consisting of Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, reported being “stable” and “green” after the splashdown.
The Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, entered Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of approximately 24,000 miles per hour, with the crew experiencing intense heat and a planned communication blackout. The spacecraft deployed parachutes and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at around 8:07 p.m. ET.
The 10-day mission aimed to test the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and its systems in deep space. The crew orbited the Moon, conducted experiments, and observed the lunar surface.
Recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy are retrieving the astronauts and transporting them to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluation. The crew will then return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for further assessments.
The Artemis II mission paves the way for future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028 as part of the Artemis program.
