Four NASA astronauts successfully completed the Artemis II mission and safely exited their Orion capsule after splashdown
The 10-day mission tested critical spacecraft systems for future lunar landings
This was the first crewed flight to lunar vicinity since the Apollo program ended in 1972
Artemis II serves as essential preparation for Artemis III's planned lunar landing
The mission validates international collaboration in deep space exploration
📖 Full Retelling
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen safely exited their Orion spacecraft on December 11, 2024, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the triumphant conclusion of the historic Artemis II mission that successfully tested critical systems for future lunar landings. The crew's egress from the capsule followed a precise splashdown, completing a 10-day journey that took them on a trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth, validating the spacecraft's performance for deep space travel.
The mission represents the first crewed flight of NASA's Artemis program and the first time humans have traveled to lunar vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972. During their journey, the four astronauts conducted extensive tests of Orion's life support systems, communication equipment, and navigation capabilities while photographing Earth and the Moon from unique vantage points. The successful splashdown and recovery operation by NASA and the U.S. Navy demonstrated the spacecraft's ability to safely return crews through Earth's atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour.
Artemis II serves as a crucial precursor to Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface, including the first woman and first person of color. NASA officials emphasized that data collected from this mission will inform final preparations for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon and eventually missions to Mars. The crew's safe return validates years of engineering work and international collaboration with partners including the Canadian Space Agency, which contributed astronaut Jeremy Hansen to the mission.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space exploration. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across th...
Artemis II is a planned lunar spaceflight mission under the Artemis program, led by NASA. It is intended to be the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), and the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft. It is the first crewed mission around the Moon, and beyond low Earth orbit, since A...
American crewed spacecraft for the Artemis program
Orion (Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin that is paired with a European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence ...
The Artemis II astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, exited the Orion capsule following a historic mission around the moon and a successful splashdown on Earth. Retired Lt. Col. David Mahan, astronomer Derrick Pitts and CBS News' Carter Evans have more.
