'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 04, 2026 11:50 PM

Crew will get view of the moon never before seen by humans, NASA says

NASA leaders confirmed Monday's lunar flyby will allow the crew to see parts of the moon humans have never seen before.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate lead Kelsey Young explained Saturday that parts of the lunar far side remain unfamiliar to human eyes because the Apollo missions were planned to launch when the near side was illuminated.

PHOTO: This handout picture provided by NASA shows the Moon taken by an Artemis II crewmember through the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 3, 2026.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

This handout picture provided by NASA shows the Moon taken by an Artemis II crewmember through the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 3, 2026.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

"So as they get closer, they'll be able to see features that human eyes have never before seen," Young at a news conference.

NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) Program John Honeycutt noted that even regions just imaged by robotic spacecraft are now visible to humans, referring to a photo taken from Orion on Friday.

The crew will also witness a solar eclipse during the mission lasting about 53 minutes, occurring an hour after Earthrise.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 04, 2026 8:18 PM

NASA releases new 'selfie' of Orion capsule, prepares for Day 4

NASA released a brand-new high-resolution "selfie" of Orion in space.

PHOTO: Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day into the Artemis II mission.

NASA

Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day into the Artemis II mission.

NASA

The space agency says the image was taken with a camera mounted on one of the spacecraft’s solar array wings during a routine inspection on the second day of the Artemis II mission.

The Artemis crew has several items on their agenda for the fourth day of their mission.

PHOTO: This artist’s concept depicts the nominal trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight, an approximately 10-day mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and back.

Goddard/JSC/NASA

This artist’s concept depicts the nominal trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight, an approximately 10-day mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and back.

Goddard/JSC/NASA

At 9:10 p.m. ET, the space agency says Victor Glover will take manual control of Orion for a scheduled deep‑space handling test to see how the spacecraft responds to different maneuvers far from Earth.

In addition, NASA flight controllers have scheduled a 24‑hour acoustics test to help engineers better understand sound levels inside Orion’s cabin.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 04, 2026 7:53 PM

Artemis II crew woken up with Chappell Roan bop

The Artemis crew awoke from their sleep to the song "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan around 12:35 p.m. ET.

PHOTO: Crewmembers are shown on the Artemis II mission on flight day 3.

NASA

Crewmembers Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Reid Wiseman, commander; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; are shown on the Artemis II mission on flight day 3.

NASA

“We were all eagerly awaiting the chorus,” one crew member said.

NASA

Mission Specialist 1 Christina Koch gazing at Earth from Orion’s windows, a reminder of home as they travel toward the moon.

NASA

Commander Reid Wiseman gazes at Earth from Orion’s windows, a reminder of home as they travel toward the moon.

NASA

NASA also just released new downlinked images from Orion capturing Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist 1 Christina Koch gazing at Earth from Orion’s windows, a reminder of home as they travel toward the moon.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 04, 2026 3:07 PM

Orion passes midpoint as Artemis II enters Flight Day 4

Overnight, the Orion spacecraft moved closer to the moon than to Earth, with just over 119,000 miles still to go.

PHOTO: This handout picture by an Artemis II crew member provided by NASA shows Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen peering out the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 3, 2026.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

This handout picture by an Artemis II crew member provided by NASA shows Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen peering out the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 3, 2026.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

According to NASA, after the first outbound trajectory correction burn was canceled, the crew prepared the cabin for the upcoming lunar observation period and tested Orion’s emergency communications system.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

This handout picture provided by NASA shows the Moon taken by an Artemis II crewmember through the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 3, 2026.

NASA via AFP via Getty Images

The crew remains asleep now, with a scheduled wake-up around 11:35 a.m. CDT/ 12:35 p.m. EDT to begin Flight Day 4.

-ABC News’ Briana Alvarado

Apr 07, 2026 6:21 PM

NASA shares more photos of far side of the moon

NASA has shared additional photos of the far side of the moon taken during the Artemis II crew's historic lunar flyby on Monday.

One image shows a close-up view of Vavilov Crater, an impact crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung impact basin, none of which can be seen from Earth.

NASA

A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin, April 6, 2026.

NASA

Another image shows the Orientale basin in the center with a black patch of ancient lava that punched through the moon's crust in an eruption billions of years ago. It is located on the western border between the near and far side of the moon and is hard to see from Earth.

PHOTO: Orientale basin is visible in the center, with a black patch of ancient lava in the center that punched through the Moon's crust in an eruption billions of years ago, in this view of the Moon, taken by the Artemis II crew, April 6, 2026.

NASA

Orientale basin is visible in the center, with a black patch of ancient lava in the center that punched through the Moon's crust in an eruption billions of years ago, in this view of the Moon, taken by the Artemis II crew, April 6, 2026.

NASA

A third image captures the lunar surface in sharp detail while a distant Earth hovers in the background.

PHOTO: The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background, April 6, 2026.

NASA

The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background, April 6, 2026.

NASA

Also captured by the Artemis II crew is the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin, an impact crater on the far side of the moon.

The basin is seen with the shadowed terminator -- the boundary between lunar day and night -- at the top of the image.

PHOTO: Captured by the Artemis II crew, April 6, 2026, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen with the shadowed terminator, the boundary between lunar day and night at the top of the image.

NASA

Captured by the Artemis II crew, April 6, 2026, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen with the shadowed terminator, the boundary between lunar day and night at the top of the image.

NASA