The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday night, concluding a historic 10-day mission. All four astronauts aboard the Orion space capsule are in good health.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch of NASA, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first humans to travel to the moon and return safely since Apollo 17 in 1972. They join an exclusive club of 24 others who have accomplished this feat.
The spacecraft touched down at 5:07 pm local time, after traveling 694,481 miles (1,117,659 km) around the moon. The mission officially lasted 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes, but is recorded as a 10-day mission since launch day was considered flight day one.
NASA's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said at a press conference: '53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay.' NASA administrator Jared Isaacman added: 'This is just the beginning. We are going to get back into doing this with frequency, sending missions to the moon until we land on it in 2028.'
During the mission, the crew captured stunning footage and images of the lunar surface and Earth. Christina Koch described her first impression of the moon as 'overwhelmingly moving,' noting that the experience reminded her of Earth's uniqueness and the miracle it provides.
