Artemis II crew is headed home. What to know.

NASA's four-person Artemis II crew is returning to Earth after successfully completing a critical lunar flyby mission, marking the first human journey to the Moon's vicinity in over 50 years. The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, began their journey home from lunar orbit on December 11, 2023, following a 10-day mission designed to test the Orion spacecraft's systems for future lunar landings. The mission represents a pivotal step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and eventually prepare for missions to Mars. During their journey, the crew conducted extensive tests of the spacecraft's life support, communication, and navigation systems while traveling approximately 6,400 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon—farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown. The successful completion of these tests validates the Orion capsule's readiness for the more complex Artemis III mission, which plans to land astronauts near the lunar south pole. The crew's return journey involves a carefully calculated re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, where the Orion capsule must withstand temperatures approaching 2,760 degrees Celsius before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. NASA officials have emphasized that data collected during this mission will be crucial for addressing any technical challenges before Artemis III, currently scheduled for no earlier than 2025. The program's success also reinforces international collaboration in space exploration, with the Canadian Space Agency's contribution marking that nation's first human lunar mission. Beyond its technical achievements, Artemis II has captured global public imagination, representing humanity's renewed commitment to deep space exploration after decades of focus on low-Earth orbit. The mission's success provides NASA with critical confidence in its hardware and operational procedures, setting the stage for the next era of lunar exploration that will include building the Lunar Gateway station and developing sustainable surface habitats.