Watch live: Artemis II crew to splash down after lunar fly-by mission

The four-person crew of NASA's Artemis II mission, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, successfully concluding their historic 10-day lunar fly-by mission that launched on April 1. This return marks the culmination of the first crewed mission to travel to the vicinity of the moon since the Apollo program, a critical test of the Orion spacecraft's systems designed to pave the way for future lunar landings. The mission's primary objective was to rigorously test the life support, communication, and navigation systems of the Orion capsule with astronauts aboard, following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight. During their journey, the crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, venturing thousands of miles beyond the far side of the moon. This successful test is a foundational step for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence there as a proving ground for eventual missions to Mars. The splashdown and subsequent recovery operations by the U.S. Navy and NASA teams will be a major focus, as safely returning the crew and the spacecraft is paramount. Data collected throughout the mission, especially during the high-speed re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, will be invaluable for finalizing designs for the Artemis III mission, which plans to land astronauts, including the first woman and first person of color, on the lunar south pole. The success of Artemis II reinforces international partnerships in space exploration and demonstrates significant progress in the United States' deep space exploration capabilities.