NASA's Artemis II Mission Concludes with Successful Splashdown After Lunar Flyby

NASA's Artemis II mission concluded successfully on April 10, 2026, with the Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The crew, consisting of three Americans and one Canadian, returned safely after a nine-day journey that took them around the moon. This marked the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.

NASA reported the landing as perfect, with all crew members in good health. The mission launched on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the flight, the crew traveled an estimated 252,760 miles from Earth, farther than any previous human mission.

They performed a flyby of the moon's far side, collecting observations and data for scientists. The astronauts also witnessed a total solar eclipse.

II served as a test flight for NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.

The crew orbited the moon and gathered imagery of previously unseen areas. They described the lunar south pole as a steep and challenging landscape for future landings. From their position near the moon, the astronauts observed the three-dimensional topography of the surface, noting differences in brightness in young craters.

The crew members also saw colors on the moon that are not visible from Earth, describing a greenish tint on Aristarchus Plateau. A science officer who communicated with the astronauts during the mission suspected volcanic terrain. During the eclipse, the astronauts were able to see multiple impact flashes as small meteorites hit the moon.

Such observations will inform the safety of future lunar bases under NASA's Artemis program.

The astronauts took photos during the flyby and conducted scientific tasks.