Artemis II Splashes Down In Pacific After Historic Moon Trip

The four crew members are back on Earth after spending nine days in space and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.

Artemis II astronauts returned safely to Earth after a historic voyage.

Source : DW

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Crew achieved record distance, observed Moon's far side.
• NASA celebrated mission success, calling it a new beginning.
• Astronauts rescued by Navy, will undergo evaluations.

Written by: Darko Janjevic | Wesley Dockery | Rob Turner with AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa

• The NASA astronauts are the first humans to observe the far-side of the moon
• NASA says crew 'happy and healthy' after splashdown
• The Orion spacecraft broke Apollo 13's record for traveling the farthest distance from Earth

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You can catch up on the key moments of the Artemis II return and landing on April 10 and April 11 below.

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NASA says Artemis astronauts 'healthy and happy' after returning to Earth

Addressing reporters after the splashdown, NASA entry flight director Rick Henfling said the crew was "happy and healthy."

"We saw the crew a number of times after they got out of the spacecraft," he said, adding that "everyone was happy and healthy and ready to come back to Houston "

At the same press conference, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Lori Glaze said many more moon missions would follow.

"We are so thrilled to have Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy back here on Earth and, safely aboard the USS John P. Murtha" she said.

"Our team is fired up, and this mission, that we are talking about, is just the beginning," Glaze added.

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What you should know about the Artemis II mission:

• NASA’s Artemis 2 was the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972
• The Artemis II was launched aboard the Orion spacecraft on 1 April 2026
• The astronauts aboard the Artemis II traveled further into space than anyone in history
• During a six-hour flyby, the crew captured images never seen before of the far side of the moon
• The four-member crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on April 10
• From liftoff to splashdown, the trip clocked in at 9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds -- though NASA rounds up and calls it a 10-day mission

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'Welcome to our moonshot,' NASA says after success of Artemis II

NASA officials on Friday celebrated the success of the Artemis II mission, hailing the success of the astronauts but also the many engineers behind the mission.

"53 years ago, humanity left the moon, this time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started," said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator.

Lori Glaze, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said this was only the beginning.

"We did it! We sent four amazing people to the moon and safely returned them to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years," Glaze said. "To the generation that now knows what we're capable of, welcome to our moonshot."

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IN PICTURES — Navy picks up Artemis II crew after splashing down

The four-member Artemis II crew have been picked up by Navy helicopters after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California as scheduled.

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Artemis II crew land on US Navy ship

The four-member crew of the Artemis II has landed on the US Navy USS John P. Murtha, concluding a lengthy extraction mission after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean nearly two hours ago.

The crew will undergo initial medical evaluations on the ship before continuing to Houston, where they are due to reunite with their families.

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Navy helicopters pick up Artemis II crew

Navy helicopters have picked up the Artemis II astronauts from the "front porch" and are airlifting them to the US Navy USS John P. Murtha.

The ship was positioned off the San Diego coast, supported by military aircraft and helicopters, to assist in the operation.

On the ship, the Artemis II crew will undergo initial medical evaluations before they reunite with their families in Houston.

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Crew out of capsule on 'front porch'

The four-member crew of Artemis II proceeded out of their Orion capsule.

They were loaded onto the "front porch," the name given to the raft where they will wait for Navy helicopters as part of their extraction out of the Pacific Ocean.

The crew had splashed down off the coast of Southern California over an hour ago.

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NASA begins recovery of Artemis II crew after 'textbook touchdown'

After their "textbook touchdown" into the Pacific on Saturday, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission is set to undergo recovery procedures.

Commander Reid Wiseman, along with Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, remained inside the capsule as recovery teams moved in.

The US Navy USS John P. Murtha was positioned off the San Diego coast, supported by military aircraft and helicopters, to assist in the operation.

NASA and US military personnel are expected to take about an hour to secure the floating capsule and help the astronauts exit.

The crew will then be airlifted to the ship, where they will undergo initial medical evaluations.

Following these checks, the astronauts are scheduled to travel to Houston, where they are expected to reunite with their families at mission control later this weekend.

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Trump congratulates Artemis II crew on 'spectacular' trip

US President Donald Trump congratulated the four-member crew of the Artemis II in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!"

Trump said he looked forward to seeing them at the White House soon.

"We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!" Trump said.

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DW's live coverage: Artemis II returns to Earth

Click below to watch DW's live coverage as the Artemis II crew returns to Earth as it happened.

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Artemis II splashes down in Pacific Ocean after historic moon voyage

The four-member crew of the Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, after a 10-day moon voyage, the first in over half a century.

NASA's mission saw the crew break the record for venturing deeper into space than any other humans.

US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen returned to Earth aboard their Orion spacecraft, dubbed Integrity.

"We have you loud and clear," mission commander Wiseman said following a communications check.

"What a journey," he added. "We are stable."

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Communication restored with Artemis II after expected blackout

Communication has just been restored with the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, after a six-minute blackout that was expected ahead of the scheduled splashdown.

"Houston. Integrity. We have you loud and clear," said mission commander Reid Wiseman following a voice check after the communications loss.

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Communication lost with Artemis II as expected

Communication has been lost with the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, as expected ahead of the scheduled splashdown, as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

The blackout is due to last six minutes.

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Service module separates from Orion

The Orion capsule bringing back four Artemis II astronauts has shed its propulsion system as planned ahead of reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

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Artemis II prepares to splash down on Earth

As the Artemis crew prepares for their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off southern California in less than two hours, NASA shared some breathtaking photos taken by the crew during their record-setting mission.

NASA also shared a video as the Orion spacecraft inches closer to our planet.

Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.