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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, 2:00 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 2:00 PM

Artemis crew awake and beginning launch day activities

The Artemis II crew is now awake and beginning their launch day activities.

NASA astronaut and mission commander Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover, NASA astronaut and mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will have breakfast and then begin their final preparations for launch day.

PHOTO: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen stop for a group photograph as they visit NASA's Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, March 30, 2026 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen stop for a group photograph as they visit NASA's Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, March 30, 2026 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Bill Ingalls/NASA

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser


Apr 01, 2026 12:27 PM

Rocket fueling 'go' has been given

Artemis II Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given the "go" for ground teams to begin fueling the SLS rocket, a procedure known as tanking.

Fueling begins with the chilldown step, a critical process that cools the rocket's plumbing and engine systems to super-cold cryogenic temperatures so there aren't any issues when ground teams begin to load the fuel of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser


Apr 01, 2026 12:06 PM

Watch Artemis II live at Kennedy Space Center

NASA is broadcasting a live feed of the Artemis II moon rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.

Teams are activating the ground launch sequencer, the computer that will initiate terminal count -- the final, automated 10 minutes of launch countdown -- which will tell the rocket when to lift off.

Engineers are also initiating the air‑to‑gaseous nitrogen changeover inside the rocket's cavities. NASA says atmospheric air is replaced with inert nitrogen gas, which creates a stable environment before fueling operations.

Watch the live feed here.



Apr 01, 2026 10:00 AM

What is the timeline of the Artemis II moon mission?

The Artemis II moon mission will see four astronauts go on a 685,000-mile, 10-day journey around the moon. Here is what the timeline looks like:


Day 1 is launch day. The astronauts lift off aboard NASA's newest spacecraft, Orion, which will sit atop the Space Launch System rocket. The spacecraft will reach initial orbit and then high-Earth orbit to make a push toward the moon.

Days 2 through 4 are transit days, with the journey to the moon taking three days. Over the course of the journey, the crew will continue to evaluate Orion's systems and practice emergency procedures, in addition to other activities.

PHOTO: Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen stop for a group photo during a visit to NASA's Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, March 30, 2026, at Launch Complex 39B of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Fla.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP via Getty Images
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen stop for a group photo during a visit to NASA's Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, March 30, 2026, at Launch Complex 39B of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Fla.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP via Getty Images

On day 5, Orion will enter the lunar sphere of influence, meaning the moon is the main gravitational pull. On day 6, the crew will come its closest to the moon while traveling the farthest from Earth, according NASA.

Days 7 through 10 will see the astronauts make their way back to Earth before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, up to 25,000 miles per hour.

The Orion spacecraft will deploy a series of parachutes once through the heat of re-entry to slow down and it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean The U.S. Navy will recover the capsule.

-ABC News’ Mary Kekatos


Apr 07, 2026 4:02 AM

Trump speaks with Artemis II astronauts: 'You've made history'

President Donald Trump called the Artemis II astronauts after the historic lunar flyby on Monday and invited them to the Oval Office upon their return to Earth.

“Today you’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,” Trump said. “We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is, there’s nothing like what you’re doing circling around the moon for the first time in more than half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from planet Earth.”

After inviting the astronauts to visit the White House, Trump said, "I’ll ask for your autograph ... I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that."

PHOTO: President Donald Trump holds a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, April 6, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
President Donald Trump holds a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, April 6, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters

"I look forward to having you in the Oval Office at the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and trials," the president said.

The president also said the U.S. will “establish a permanent presence on the moon” one day in the future, as well as “push on to Mars,” though he recognized that the latter feat may not necessarily occur during his administration. 

“We'll plant our flag once again, and this time we won't just leave footprints, we'll establish a permanent presence on the moon, and we'll push on to Mars, that'll be very exciting. I'm waiting for that so much. I'd love to be here, but maybe we won't quite make it in terms of timing,” Trump said.


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