Watch highlights of Artemis II’s return to Earth

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded on December 11, 2024, when the Orion spacecraft carrying astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. This event marked the end of a historic 10-day journey around the Moon, a critical test flight designed to validate spacecraft systems for future crewed lunar landings and demonstrate NASA's readiness for the Artemis III mission. The splashdown represented the culmination of years of preparation and a flawless return journey. After completing a lunar flyby and traveling approximately 1.4 million miles, the Orion capsule re-entered Earth's atmosphere at speeds nearing 25,000 mph, enduring temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The successful deployment of its parachute system allowed for a gentle descent into the ocean, where recovery teams from the U.S. Navy and NASA swiftly secured the capsule and extracted the crew. This precise operation was a key objective, proving the spacecraft's ability to safely return astronauts from deep space. The mission's success is a major milestone for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and serve as a stepping stone for future Mars exploration. The diverse crew, including the first woman and first person of color on a lunar mission, conducted extensive system checks and human health research during their flight. With the Artemis II spacecraft and crew now safely recovered, NASA engineers will analyze the collected data to finalize designs for Artemis III, which plans to land astronauts near the lunar South Pole.