NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
A “textbook” splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.
NASA officials hail ‘new era’ of space exploration after successful mission
At a press conference following the safe splashdown of the Artemis II crew in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening, NASA officials hailed the historic 10-day mission and said bigger challenges lie ahead.
“So, ya’ll, we did it,” said Lori Haze, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.
Howard Hu, NASA Orion program manager, said: “This is the start of a new era of human space exploration.”
By 2028, NASA plans to land a crew on the surface of the moon with the Artemis IV mission.
Amit Kshatriya, associate NASA administrator, said the successful ending of the mission means “the path to the lunar surface is open,” but hard work remains ahead.
“Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we returned to stay,” Kshatriya said. “Let us finish what they started … Let us not go to plant flags and leave — but to stay.”
Crew members hoisted into helicopters
One by one, the members of the Artemis crew are being hoisted into waiting helicopters after the successful splashdown following the 10-day mission around the moon.
The helicopters are carrying the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha off the coast of San Diego.
All 4 crew members out of the capsule
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman is the last crewmember to come out of the capsule.
The process to hoist them up to awaiting Navy helicopters will begin shortly.
Crew being extracted from capsule
The four Artemis II crewmembers are emerging from the Orion capsule for the first time since beginning their mission 10 days ago.
A burst of applause and cheers could be heard in NASA’s Mission Control Center as the first crew member came out.
The astronauts will get a chance to readjust to Earth’s gravity on an inflatable raft known as the front porch before helicopters take them to the USS John P. Murtha.
Trump congratulates crew
President Donald Trump congratulated the Artemis II crew, calling it a “spectacular” trip, and said he looks forward to seeing them at the White House “soon,” in a social media post following the successful splashdown.
A TV was wheeled into the roundtable dinner that the president was attending in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he watched the Artemis splashdown, according to a White House official.
Side hatch opened
The side hatch of the Orion capsule is now open, as four Navy personnel — one for each astronaut — enter the capsule to check on the crewmembers.
Recovery personnel arrive
Recovery personnel, including Navy divers, have pulled up along the Orion capsule to help extract the crewmembers.
What comes next
The astronauts will stay inside the Orion capsule as it’s powered down and recovery teams move in to help them out and take their first breaths of fresh air on Earth since April 1.
They were initially expected to begin exiting the spacecraft around 9:06 p.m. ET but it’s possible that could be pushed back. Christina Koch will exit first, followed by Victor Glover Jr., Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman last.
After they’re helped out of the capsule, the crew will be moved onto a raft. From there, helicopters will lift each astronaut one by one and fly them to the USS John P. Murtha.
