The four astronauts who flew around the Moon and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean yesterday are now back in Houston. The USS John P. Murtha recovery ship returned to Naval Base San Diego today and the crew flew home to the happy arms of family, friends and colleagues after an historic trip. In emotional remarks, they thanked everyone and shared their initial reactions to all they experienced while conceding it’s too soon to absorb it all.
NASA is cheering the return of the Artemis II crew tonight after a 9-day mission around the Moon. Administrator Jared Isaacman aboard the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha declared “Mission Accomplished” as congratulations poured in from everywhere.
The Artemis II crew is back on Earth after the first trip around the Moon since 1972. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down off the coast of California at 8:07:27 pm EDT.
The crew of Artemis II is busy configuring the Orion capsule for reentry tomorrow, with splashdown off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 pm ET. NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said today Orion will be traveling at almost 25,000 miles per hour with a heat shield built from materials designed to withstand temperatures approaching the surface of the Sun. He has “high confidence” the systems will land them safely in the Pacific Ocean, but concedes he’ll be anxious.
The Artemis II crew continued a variety of tests of the Orion capsule today as they began preparations for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean in less than two days. They are now about 181,000 miles (291,291 kilometers) from Earth and getting closer every minute.
The Artemis II crew is on their way back to Earth after swinging around the Moon yesterday. Stunning images of both the Moon and the Earth have been downlinked already with more to come, exciting scientists and stirring the spirit. With the exception of the still troublesome toilet, the Orion capsule and its European Service Module are performing very well, though NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says he won’t relax until the crew splashes down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.
The four Artemis II astronauts set a new record today for the furthest any humans have traveled from Earth, swinging around the Moon and then heading back towards Earth. Their day began with a message from Jim Lovell, one of the first astronauts to orbit the Moon who recorded it last year a few months before he passed away. The day ended with a congratulatory chat with President Trump. In-between was an intense day of scientific observations that left them at a loss for superlatives to describe it all.
Today four astronauts will fly around the Moon for the first time since 1972. The crew of Artemis II is closing in on the Moon and around lunchtime will surpass the record for the furthest anyone has traveled from Earth. For about seven hours they will make scientific observations of the lunar surface, including parts human eyes have never seen. They also will be out of contact with Earth for 40 minutes when the Moon blocks communications.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of April 5-11, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess this week except for pro forma sessions.
The Artemis II crew continues on a smooth course to the Moon today. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now about halfway to their destination, with a loop around the Moon on Monday.