Artemis II Crew Return After Farthest Human Journey Ever
The capsule pierced through Earth's atmosphere at roughly 33 times the speed of sound, enduring surface temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 Celsius), before slowing to a gentle 19 mph (30 kph) at splashdown — recorded at 8:07 ET (0007 GMT).
All four astronauts aboard — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — emerged safely following the mission's conclusion.
The crew etched their names into history by traveling farther from Earth than any humans ever recorded, with the Orion spacecraft reaching a maximum distance of approximately 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) — eclipsing the record previously held by the Apollo 13 crew since 1970.
During the mission, the astronauts completed a lunar flyby, observed the moon's far side, and witnessed a solar eclipse visible exclusively from space. NASA confirmed the spacecraft's closest lunar approach at approximately 4,067 miles above the surface before commencing its return trajectory.
US President Donald Trump celebrated the achievement on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, "Congratulations to the great and very talented crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!"
The President added, "I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We'll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!"
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