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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 2, 2026, 11:54 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 02, 2026 11:54 PM

Translunar injection burn is underway

The translunar injection burn is underway. The Orion spacecraft is now committed to its journey to the moon.


Apr 02, 2026 11:36 PM

Houston is a 'go' for crucial translunar injection burn

Mission Control in Houston has given the final “go” for the translunar injection burn. The Artemis II crew said they are a “go” for the burn.

Mission Control told the astronauts, “When the engine ignites, you embark on humanity’s lunar homecoming arc and set the course to return Integrity and her crew safely home. Houston is go for TLS.”

Astronaut Christina Koch replied, “Crew is go for TLI. With this burn to the moon, we do not leave Earth, we choose it."

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser


Apr 02, 2026 9:58 PM

Breaking down Artemis II moon mission terms, jargon and what they mean

Following the path of Artemis II may be confusing as the astronauts, mission control and others use specific jargon and phrases.

Here are explanations of some of the terminology people may hear over the course of the mission:

Translunar injection burn

The translunar injection burn is the final step that sends the crew on the path to the moon, committing the Orion spacecraft to the remainder of its 10-day mission.

Lasting just minutes, it's a single-engine firing that propels the spacecraft out of Earth's orbit and on a "free-return trajectory."

PHOTO: NASA launched a new space toilet, the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS).
NASA
NASA launched a new space toilet, the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 14th contract resupply mission in September. Another UWMS unit will be installed in Orion for the Artemis II flight test that will send astronauts on a 10-day mission beyond the Moon and back.
NASA

Universal waste management system

The universal waste management system, otherwise known as a space toilet, is located inside a stall just like in a public restroom on Earth, according to NASA.

Space toilets use air flow to pull urine and feces away and into receptacles, which are stored for disposal. The astronauts have a handlebar to hold themselves down while using the toilet in the absence of gravity.

Read more here about the terms and jargon you may come across during the Artemis II mission.



Apr 02, 2026 9:54 PM

Get to know Christina Koch, the 1st female astronaut to travel around the moon

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is making history as the first woman to travel around the moon.

Koch, 47, is among the four-person crew aboard the Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission, which lifted off Wednesday evening from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a 10-day journey.

PHOTO: Astronaut Christina Koch leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, on April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Chris O'Meara/AP
Astronaut Christina Koch smiles as she talks to family members as she leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, on April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Chris O'Meara/AP

Koch, who was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, is no stranger to record-setting NASA missions.

Koch was first selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. In December 2019, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 consecutive days in space, according to NASA, and was part of the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019 with Jessica Meir.

Read more about Koch here.

-ABC News' Kelly McCarthy


Apr 09, 2026 4:23 PM

Artemis II crew awakened for day 9 of historic journey

The Artemis II crew was awakened Thursday by the song “Lonesome Drifter,” by country singer Charley Crockett, as day nine of their 10-day flight officially began.

Reentry and splashdown preparations for a scheduled Friday splashdown off the California coast are now in full swing. The crew is scheduled to execute their second return trajectory burn of the Orion crew module at 10:53 p.m. ET today.

NASA will hold another mission status briefing at 3:30 p.m. ET.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado


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