'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.

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Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Artemis II crew arrives back to Houston after the dramatic Pacific splashdown

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.

Apr 02, 2026 8:56 PM

A look at the stages of the Artemis II journey

After a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday evening, the Artemis II crew of four is headed to the moon on a 10-day journey.

How does a nearly 6 million-pound rocket and crew module make that journey possible? It’s all about physics.

Read more here to learn about the stages from liftoff to Earth orbit to the trans-lunar injection burn and, finally, the journey home.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 02, 2026 8:23 PM

Crucial trans-lunar injection burn is a 'go'

The Artemis II mission management team has polled "go" for the crucial trans-lunar injection burn, which will send the crew on its path to the moon.

The burn will take place at 7:49 p.m. ET.

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

Apr 02, 2026 7:09 PM

Artemis II crew awakens to John Legend's 'Green Light'

NASA's Mission Control in Houston just awakened the Artemis II crew with the song "Green Light," by John Legend featuring the rapper André 3000. The astronauts also received voice messages from members of the NASA workforce.

The crew will begin flight day 2 activities and operations, including exercise time, and is now approximately 20 hours into the mission.

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.

Joe Raedle/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.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In the next few hours, the Artemis II mission management team will decide whether to proceed with the trans-lunar injection burn that will send Orion on its path to the moon.

In response to the musical wakeup, Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman replied, "Houston, Integrity, we are ready to go, and that was awesome. Thank you for all those messages."

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

Apr 02, 2026 5:29 PM

Team to decide whether crucial trans-lunar injection burn is a 'go'

The Artemis II mission management team will meet shortly to make a pivotal "go" or "no-go" decision for the trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn.

If it's a "go" for the TLI, the burn will occur Thursday at 7:49:50 p.m. ET. This burn commits the Orion spacecraft to the remainder of its 10-day mission.

NASA

NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen are seen in the Orion spacecraft, April 2, 2026.

NASA

The TLI burn is the final major engine firing of the Artemis II mission. It will propel Orion on its path toward the moon, setting it on a free-return trajectory that will carry it around the far side of the moon and back to Earth using gravity as an assist. It will also ensure that the spacecraft returns to Earth, even if a system failure occurs.

The main engine on Orion's service module, known as the Orbital Maneuvering System engine, will provide 6,000 pounds of thrust during the nearly six-minute burn. That's enough power to accelerate a car from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.7 seconds.

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

Apr 01, 2026 4:38 PM

How NASA plans to keep astronauts safe during the Artemis II mission

Despite all the preparation, safety systems and redundancies, the nature of human spaceflight is inherently risky, according to experts.

"I think it'd make everybody feel comfortable to say that all the risk was knocked down to zero," Danny Olivas, former NASA astronaut and engineer, told ABC News. "The truth is it is not and never will be."

PHOTO: NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, March 30, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP via Getty Images

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, March 30, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP via Getty Images

NASA is using a variety of tools and systems to ensure crew safety from launch to splashdown, including customized lifesaving spacesuits, a launch abort system, radiation monitoring, an emergency egress system and other contingencies.