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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 10, 2026, 11:24 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 10, 2026 11:24 PM

Preparations for splashdown

U.S. Navy divers could be seen preparing to deploy from the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha, which will retrieve the crewmembers and NASA's Orion spacecraft once they splash down off the coast of San Diego.

PHOTO: US Navy divers preparing to deploy from the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha to recover Artemis II crewmembers and NASA's Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif., April 10, 2026.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
US Navy divers preparing to deploy from the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha to recover Artemis II crewmembers and NASA's Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif., April 10, 2026.
Bill Ingalls/NASA

Apr 10, 2026 10:39 PM

Astronauts suited up

PHOTO: Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover work at the controls of the Orion spacecraft after changing into their spacesuits as it travels to Earth ahead of splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, April 10, 2026.
NASA
Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover work at the controls of the Orion spacecraft after changing into their spacesuits as it travels to Earth ahead of splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, April 10, 2026.
NASA


Members of the crew can be seen in their orange spacesuits now while at the controls of the Orion spacecraft ahead of their reentry.


Apr 10, 2026 10:19 PM

Timeline for Orion descent

Here's a look at the "carefully timed sequence" of the final stages of Orion's descent, according to NASA. All times Eastern.

7:33 p.m.: Orion's crew module will separate from the European Service Module, exposing the heat shield that will protect the spacecraft as it travels through the Earth's atmosphere.

7:37 p.m.: Orion will perform an 18-second raise burn that fine-tunes the reentry angle of the spacecraft to minimize the time the heat shield will experience high temperatures.

7:53 p.m.: Orion will make first contact with the upper atmosphere, beginning a planned 6-minute communications blackout. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs as the spacecraft travels nearly 35 times the speed of sound.

7:59 p.m.: NASA will regain communications with the crew.

8:03 p.m.: At around 22,000 feet in altitude, drogue parachutes will deploy to help slow the capsule ahead of splashdown.

8:04 p.m.: Three main parachutes will deploy at around 6,000 feet, reducing Orion's speed to less than 136 mph.

8:07 p.m.: Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, having slowed to 20 mph.

PHOTO: Artemis II splashdown corridor off the coast of California.
NASA
Artemis II splashdown corridor off the coast of California.
NASA


Apr 10, 2026 9:44 PM

USGS warns to expect sonic boom from reentry

The U.S. Geological Survey warned residents of Southern California that they should expect to hear a sonic boom from the Artemis II reentry in a few hours.

The sonic boom is expected between approximately 5-5:15 p.m. PT, it said.


Apr 07, 2026 2:15 AM

Crater on far side of moon named in honor of astronaut's late wife

The Artemis II crew named a crater on the moon, sitting on the boundary of the near side and far side, after mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

Carroll Wiseman passed away in 2020 after a five-year battle with cancer, according to her obituary.

"We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll. The spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie," Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said earlier on Monday, tearing up. "It's a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll."

PHOTO: The Artemis II crew named a crater on the moon, sitting on the boundary of the near side and far side, after mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
Wiseman family
The Artemis II crew named a crater on the moon, sitting on the boundary of the near side and far side, after mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
Wiseman family

The crew shared a long group hug afterwards.

For another crater on the far side of the moon, Hansen said the crew would like to name it "Integrity," in honor of the name the astronauts have given the spacecraft that carried them farther into space than any other human in history.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado


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