The number of people who have travelled to the moon and returned safely will rise to 28 when NASA’s Orion capsule, carrying four Artemis II astronauts, splashes down off the coast of San Diego under three main parachutes. The landing was scheduled for 5.07pm PT (1.07am BST Saturday) and will conclude a 10-day lunar odyssey that sent three Americans and one Canadian farther from Earth than anyone since the end of Apollo in December 1972.
The flight served as a high-stakes test of crewed operations beyond low Earth orbit and, by all initial accounts, met its objectives. NASA and its partners evaluated life support systems, radiation monitors, next-generation spacesuits and mission procedures that will be essential for future deep-space missions and the agency’s planned crewed moon landing in 2028.
Collectively the crew — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — reached 252,756 miles from Earth, exceeding the Apollo 13 record by more than 4,000 miles. Over their roughly 695,000-mile voyage, the mission gathered high-resolution images and video of the lunar surface and striking views of Earth from afar, material NASA says will enable new science and inspire the public.
There were human moments alongside the technical work. Christina Koch said, “I just had an overwhelming sense of being moved by looking at the moon,” describing a sudden, powerful reaction as Orion made its closest approach some 4,067 miles (6,545 km) above the surface. The flight also marked several firsts: Koch became the only woman on the mission to travel to the moon and back during this flight, Hansen the first non-American, and Glover the first person of color to do so.
Not everything went smoothly. Orion’s toilet malfunctioned more than once, forcing temporary use of collection bags and on-the-spot repairs. The crew also shared lighter moments — an informal Easter “egg hunt” for packets of dehydrated eggs and appearances by Rise, a plush mascot designed by an eight-year-old fan.
Mission managers made vehicle changes after anomalies on uncrewed Artemis I in November 2022, strengthening the heat shield for re-entry temperatures up to about 5,000°F (2,760°C). Orion’s sequence of 11 parachutes was timed to slow the spacecraft from hypersonic speeds to a roughly 17 mph splashdown, with Coast Guard and NASA recovery teams covering a wide landing zone.
After hatch opening and medical checks at a San Diego military base, the crew planned to return to Houston’s Johnson Space Center for reunions with family. Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said the astronauts “brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science,” and that the mission will inspire future generations as Artemis progresses toward sustained lunar operations and eventual bases on the Moon.
Original Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/10/artemis-ii-landing-return-moon-mission
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Publish Date: 2026-04-11 01:19:00
