After ten days in space and a historic revolution around the moon, Artemis II made a splashdown off the coast of San Diego at about 8:07 p.m. ET.
The astronaut’s mission produced stunning views of the dark side of the moon, and the naming of two new areas on the moon — one after the capsule Integrity, and the other named in memory of Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.
The Artemis II crew sent heartwarming messages to their families on their final day of their historic moon mission ahead of Friday’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The four astronauts, who launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, expressed how much they loved their children, nieces and nephews, and addressed the next generation of space explorers during Thursday’s call with Katie Britt (R-Alabama), NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and other lawmakers.
Follow the Post’s live updates for the latest news, photos and more from NASA’s historic mission to the moon.
Artemis II spectacularly splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening — concluding mankind’s historic return to the moon and completing the first steps toward walking on the lunar surface again.
The capsule perfectly plunked down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego precisely at 8:07 p.m. ET, with the dangerous reentry going off without a hitch as giant orange and white parachutes slowed the zooming capsule for a gentle splashdown at 19 mph.
The crew — Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch — are all in “excellent shape,” NASA said, calling their landing a “perfect bullseye.”
Recovery crews immediately descended on the scorched, gumdrop-shaped craft by boat and helicopter to secure it — after it endured estimated temperatures half as hot as the sun on its way through the atmosphere — and to begin the extraction process.
NASA breathed ‘sigh of relief’ when Artemis II astronauts extracted from crew capsule
Artemis II’s Entry Flight Director Rick Henfling said his team ‘breathed a sigh of relief’ once the side hatch opened on the Orion Integrity after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
“We all breathed a sigh of relief once the hatch opened up, that’s when we brought the team in,” he said at a media briefing Friday night.
“We said a few words at the flight controllers, and then we turned around to the families and waved and gave them a thumbs up, and we all watches as each of their four astronauts got out of the spaceship and were hoisted up on to the helicopters. It was a great day.”
Henfling said his team felt “anxiety” as the four astronauts re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, but felt confident in all their training leading up the history-making lunar mission.
NASA says Artemis III mission is ‘right around the corner’
NASA said the Artemis III mission is “right around the corner” following its history-making journey around the moon.
“The next mission is right around the corner, and you know, we’ll take the lessons learned from Artemis II,” Entry Flight Director Rick Henfling said.
“We learned a bunch on how to fly people in space, both from vehicle operations, but also from how to run a control room with a deep space mission. And when the time is right, we’ll get back into specific training, and we’ve got a core group of about 30 flight directors, and they’re all extremely capable.
“I think anybody who’s assigned to that next mission is going to be as successful as us.”
Artemis II mission was ‘not luck,’ NASA associate director said
NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya praised the team behind the historic Artemis II mission — highlighting its impressively small margin of error.
“Yesterday, flight director Jeff Radigan said we had less than a degree of an angle to hit after a quarter of a million miles to the moon,” he said at an post-splashdown press conference.
“And their team hit it. This is not luck; that is 1,000 people doing their job.”
Rick Henfling — Artemis II’s Entry Flight Director — said the capsule landed within less than a mile of their target.
NASA reveals how close Artemis II hit its predicted landing point
NASA revealed how close Artemis II hit its predicted landing point when it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down into the Pacific Ocean Friday night.
Rick Henfling — Artemis II’s Entry Flight Director — said the capsule landed within less than a mile of their target.
“What a tremendous day,” he said at a NASA press conference.
He noted the historic crew flew 700,237 miles during their 10-day lunar journey and reached a peak velocity of 24,664 mph.
The four brave astronauts landed off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET.
A NASA deputy associate administrator praised the history-making Artemis II astronauts during a post-splashdown press conference Friday night.
“Y’all, we did it!” said Lori Glaze, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA Exploration Systems Development.
“We sent four amazing people to the moon and safely returned them to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years. To the generation that now knows what we’re capable of, welcome to our moonshot.”
She said this lunar mission will be the first of “many more to come.”
“I want to thank our entire team across this nation and around he world who gave every ounce of ingenuity and effort to make them, I am so proud of each and every one of you,” Glaze said.
“What you have achieved over the last 10 days, NASA has show that ambitious goals are worth pursuing and can inspire the world.”
Artemis II’s history-making astronauts escorted to medical evaluations
Artemis II’s history-making astronauts appeared in good spirits as they were escorted from their helicopters to the medical bay after landing on the USS John P. Murtha.
While wheelchairs were available to them, each crew member walked across the ship’s deck with flight crews and NASA staff at their side.
Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch were all welcomed with hugs and praise upon touching down on the Navy recovery ship.
They will now undergo medical checks.
NASA will hold a press briefing at 10:30 p.m. ET that will be live-streamed on its channels.
All four astronauts safely land on Navy recovery ship
Artemis II’s brave astronauts — Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch — successfully and safely landed on the USS John P. Murtha.
Each were hoisted by helicopter from an inflatable raft in the Pacific Ocean and taken to the recovery ship, where they will undergo medical evaluation.
They crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET following their historic lunar mission.
All four Artemis II crew members heading to USS John P. Murtha
All four Artemis II crew members are now heading to the USS John P. Murtha after being hoisted one-by-one from the Pacific Ocean.
Dramatic footage showed the crew members dangling midair as the choppers lifted them from the giant inflatable front porch
Once they step down on the naval ship, they will undergo medical evaluations.
Empire State Building lights up red, white and blue to celebrate Artemis II crew
The Empire State Building was illuminated in red, white, and blue in honor of the Artemis II crew’s successful return to Earth following their historic lunar mission.
“Red, white, and blue for the Artemis II crew,” the iconic Big Apple landmark wrote in an X post.
“Welcome back to Earth.”
All four Artemis II crew members successfully removed from crew capsule
All four Artemis II crew members were successfully removed from the crew capsule, NASA confirmed.
The astronauts are now on the inflatable front porch and will be hoisted by flight crews onto the USS John P. Murtha, where they will undergo medical evaluations.
The crew was pulled out one-by-one over an hour after splashing down in the Pacific at 8:07 p.m. ET.
President Trump lauds ‘very talented’ Artemis II crew following ‘spectacular’ mission
President Trump on Friday hailed the Artemis II for their “spectacular” and historic lunar mission.
“Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump watched the Pacific splashdown on a wheeled TV at his Virginia winery, a White House official said.
First woman to reach moon first out of Artemis II capsule after Pacific splashdown
Specialist Christina Koch is the first of four Artemis II astronauts removed from the Orion Integrity after its dramatic Pacific Ocean splashdown.
Koch stepped out on the front porch — a giant raft – as Navy crews surrounded the capsule.
She is the first woman to travel to the moon.
Artemis II crew ‘feeling great’ and ‘happy to be home’ after historic moon mission
NASA said the Artemis II crew is “feeling great,” “happy to be home,” and eager to get out of the Orion Integrity following their historic mission around the moon.
Specialist Christina Koch is expected to be the first of the four astronauts removed from the capsule, which has been bobbing in the Pacific Ocean for over an hour.
Specialist Jeremey Hansen will follow as the crew members are pulled out one-by-one and taken to the USS John P. Murtha.
They successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Mets fans cheer Artemis II splashdown as it is broadcast live at Citi Field
The Artemis II splashdown was beamed live on the scoreboard at Citi Field as fans watched the dramatic moment unfold during the Mets-Athletics game Friday night.
Fans inside the Queens stadium erupted in cheers as the capsule splashed down into the Pacific following their historic lunar mission.
Recovery crews move in, open hatch after Artemis II splashdown
Recovery crews made a dramatic entry to retrieve the Artemis II crew from their capsule.
Navy crews opened the side hatch of the Orion Integrity less than an hour after the four astronauts landed off the San Diego coast at 8:07 p.m. ET.
It’s the first time the hatch has been opened since the crew lifted off on April 1.
The space travelers will now be pulled out one-by-one, placed on a raft, and transported to the USS John P. Murtha.
They are said to be in “excellent” condition.
Artemis II astronauts splashed down right on schedule — after 9-day moon mission
The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific at 8:07 p.m. ET and 27 seconds, according to NASA’s flight dynamics team.
That brings the total mission time to 9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds.
The spacy agency said the four astronauts are in “excellent shape” as they await recovery.
President Trump watched dramatic Artemis II splashdown
President Trump watched the dramatic Artemis II splashdown from his winery in Virginia as the crew returned home from their historic moon mission, a White House official said.
Trump, while hosting MAGA Inc. guests at Trump Winery in Charlottesville, had a TV wheeled in the room so they could all watch the capsule land in the Pacific Ocean Friday night.
NASA Administrator at a ‘loss for words’ after historic 10-day moon mission: ‘I couldn’t be more proud’
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he’s been waiting his whole lifetime to see astronauts return to the moon — after the Artemis II crew pulled off a successful splashdown in the Pacific after their 10-day mission.
“I’m still at a loss for words,” Isaacman said on the USS John P. Murtha, while awaiting the four brave astronauts to be recovered after landing off the coast of San Diego.
“I mean, you know, like the childhood Jared right now, can’t believe what I just saw. I mean, almost been waiting my whole lifetime to see this, and then as NASA administrator, i just couldn’t be more proud of the entire workforce, the years, the effort, the late nights, all that contributed to this incredible moment.”
He called the historic lunar mission and “huge moment” as they look to put astronauts back on the moon.
NASA to hold post-splashdown press conference on Artemis II mission
NASA will hold a press conference after the Artemis II crew’s successful Pacific splashdown Friday night.
The space agency will live stream the 10 p.m. ET media briefing.
Artemis II crew in ‘excellent shape’ after ‘bullseye’ splashdown
The Artemis II crew is in “excellent shape” after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening following their 10-day historic trip around the moon, NASA said.
NASA called the landing off the coast of San Diego a “perfect bullseye” following a “textbook mission.”
The four brave astronauts — Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch — are now awaiting recovery.
Artemis II enters Earth’s atmosphere
Artemis II enters Earth’s atmosphere at 7:54 p.m., the crew is in a six-minute blackout period.
Artemis II crew module successfully separates
Artemis II’s crew module successfully separated from the European service module at at 7:34 p.m. eastern time.
Navy divers deployed to greet Artemis II crew: photos
Astronauts in position for descent to Earth
Artemis II astronauts are wearing their orange spacesuits and buckled in for their descent to Earth. The service module will separate around 7:33 p.m.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman arrives on USS Murtha ahead of splashdown
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has arrived on the USS John P. Murtha hours before the Artemis II astronauts are set to arrive back on planet Earth.
Isaacman will greet the four space travelers after the capsule makes splashdown 50-80 miles off the coast of San Diego.
Artemis II offers stunning views of Earth hours before splashdown
Artemis II Splashdown: Watch Live as NASA astronauts return to Earth after historic moon mission
What time will Artemis II splash down?
Splash down of the historic Integrity capsule is expected at 8:07 p.m. Eastern Time.
Artemis II’s fiery return to Earth may cause ‘sonic boom’ so powerful it rattles windows
Artemis II’s journey back to Earth will likely trigger a “sonic boom” so strong that it could end up rattling windows in parts of Southern California, according to officials.
The gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday night — bringing a dramatic end to humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.
When the spaceship carrying its crew of four bursts back through Earth’s atmosphere in a “fireball,” the re-entry boom could be so loud, it may shake windows in San Diego, according to the US Geological Survey.
Artemis II crew members send heartwarming messages to family before splashdown
The Artemis II crew sent heartwarming messages to their families on their final day of their historic 10-day moon mission ahead of Friday’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The four astronauts, who launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, expressed how much they loved their children, nieces and nephews, and addressed the next generation of space explorers during Thursday’s call with Katie Britt (R-Alabama), NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and other lawmakers.
Commander Reid Wiseman was the first to speak and told his daughters Ellie and Katey he loves them and said their support had been “unbelievable.”
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Artemis II to return home Friday in nail-biting, 14-minute journey through Earth’s atmosphere
Artemis II’s long journey to the moon and back is expected to end with a glorious splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening.
The crew is scheduled to hit the water around 8:07 p.m. ET about 80 miles off the coast of San Diego, concluding a historic 685,000-mile flight that began 10 days ago on the Florida coast and marked the first manned flight to the moon in 54 years.
Friday’s splashdown is unlikely to be as dazzling a sight here on Earth as the April 1 launch was — but the astronauts will have a show from within their capsule as they soar through the atmosphere at nearly 25,000 mph on a tail of fire and the capsule heats to upward of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit
Artemis II crew hints it’s returning with fantastic secrets and ‘stories’ from space
The sky’s the limit to their space secrets.
The Artemis II crew says it is returning from humanity’s farthest galactic journey with cosmically cool “stories” and dazzling information that’s yet to be revealed.
“There’s so much data that you’ve seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us,” pilot astronaut Victor Glover said from outer space this week. “There’s so many more pictures, so many more stories, and, gosh, I haven’t even begun to process what we’ve been through.
