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'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission

PHOTO: (L-R) NASA's Artemis II mission astronauts Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and commander Reid Wiseman attend a welcoming ceremony in Houston, Texas, on April 11, 2026.
3:01
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Artemis II crew arrives back to Houston after the dramatic Pacific splashdown
By Mary Kekatos, Julia Jacobo, Leah Sarnoff, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: April 1, 2026, 6:51 PM

NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.

A "textbook" splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.

Key Headlines

  • Crew makes 1st appearance since return from historic mission
  • 'Welcome home, Artemis': Jubilant and emotional, crew speaks out on historic moon mission
  • Trump says he will welcome Artemis II crew to White House 'soon'
  • NASA officials hail 'new era' of space exploration after successful mission
  • Crew members hoisted into helicopters
  • All 4 crew members out of the capsule
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 01, 2026 6:51 PM

Artemis II astronauts enter Orion crew module

With the help of their closeout crew, the Artemis II astronauts have entered the Orion crew module, which they named "Integrity."

PHOTO: CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen boards the Orion spacecraft at the top of the Artemis II rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 1, 2026.
NASA
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen boards the Orion spacecraft at the top of the Artemis II rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 1, 2026.
NASA

This mission will be the first time humans travel into space on Orion.

Artemis II will be a crucial step in testing the systems on the spacecraft for future deep space missions back to the moon.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado


Apr 01, 2026 6:30 PM

Artemis II astronauts arrive at launchpad

The Artemis II crew has arrived at the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA has said the four astronauts remain on track to launch at 6:24 p.m. ET.


Apr 01, 2026 6:10 PM

Artemis II astronauts head to the launchpad

The four-person Artemis II crew is heading to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"It's a great day for us. It's a great day for the team," mission commander Reid Wiseman told a crowd of family members, fans and media after exiting the Operations and Checkout Facility.

PHOTO: CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen with NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch walk out before traveling to the launch pad to board the Artemis II crewed lunar mission at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, April 1, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen with NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch walk out before traveling to the launch pad to board the Artemis II crewed lunar mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 1, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The astronauts piled into an Astrovan to transport them across campus to the launch tower.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado and Mary Kekatos



Apr 01, 2026 5:57 PM

What life will be like for the Artemis II astronauts inside the Orion crew module

Imagine being cramped in the back seat of a car for several hours as the twists and turns of the highway intensify already uncomfortable circumstances.

Now imagine similar conditions on a 10-day trip, traveling a distance of 685,000 miles at over 20,000 miles per hour.

That's what lies ahead for the four astronauts on the Artemis II mission onboard the Orion crew module.

PHOTO: Engineers and astronauts conducted testing in a representative model of the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Radislav Sinyak/NASA
Engineers and astronauts conducted testing in a representative model of the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Radislav Sinyak/NASA

Read more here.

-ABC News' Mason Leib


Apr 02, 2026 2:19 PM

8-year-old watches his plush toy rocket to the moon with Artemis II

A second-grader's plush toy design has rocketed to space alongside astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover Jr., Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on board the Artemis II moon mission.

Lucas Ye, 8, designed a white moon plush named "Rise," which wears an Earth cap with a brim highlighting the galaxy and rockets.

PHOTO: Lucas Ye, an 8-year-old from California, designed a moon mascot plush toy called "Rise" that will travel to space on the Artemis II mission to the moon.
Courtesy Freelancer
Lucas Ye, an 8-year-old from California, designed a moon mascot plush toy called "Rise" that will travel to space on the Artemis II mission to the moon.
Courtesy Freelancer

Lucas and his family were invited to witness the Wednesday evening launch of Artemis II at the Kennedy Space Center, an experience that Lucas described to "Good Morning America" on Thursday as "really cool."

"I feel very lucky. A little idea can turn out into a big thing," Lucas told "GMA."

Read more here.

-ABC News' Yi-Jin Yu and Nic Uff


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