WASHINGTON / CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA’s Artemis II crew is on its final approach back to Earth after completing a historic lunar flyby that took them farther from our planet than any humans in history.
The four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, flew around the Moon, and captured unprecedented views of the lunar surface before beginning their return journey aboard the Orion spacecraft.
The mission marks the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years and a key step in NASA’s long-term plan to return humans to the Moon.
Coming home after a record-breaking mission
NASA confirmed that the crew will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at extreme speed, enduring temperatures of up to 5,000°F as the spacecraft’s heat shield protects them during the descent.
The capsule will then deploy parachutes for a controlled landing in the Pacific Ocean, with splashdown expected off the coast of California on Friday evening.
Recovery teams aboard the USS John P. Murtha will retrieve the astronauts after landing for initial medical checks before they return to land.
Historic deep-space milestone
During the mission, Artemis II set a new record for human space travel distance, surpassing Apollo 13. The crew also conducted system tests aboard the Orion capsule, named “Integrity,” and observed rare views of Earth and the Moon during their flyby.
NASA officials say the mission is a critical validation flight for future deep-space exploration, including planned lunar landings later in the Artemis program.
NASA will provide live coverage of the dramatic return, including the high-speed re-entry, communications blackout period, parachute deployment, and final ocean splashdown.
If successful, Artemis II will pave the way for the next phase of lunar exploration and eventually human missions to Mars.
