'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 10, 2026 8:41 PM

Weather criteria required for splashdown

Splashdown remains tentatively scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, likely within 100 miles of the San Diego coast, according to NASA. However, the exact timing could still change depending on various conditions.

Weather-wise, it's still looking like a go with no big changes to the forecast at this time. The criteria required for splashdown are expected to be met off the coast of San Diego. Rain should remain well to the north of the region, and clouds shouldn't exceed the safety threshold.

PHOTO: View of the USS John P. Murtha flight deck is seen from the air boss tower ahead of the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, April 9, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Bill Ingalls/NASA

View of the USS John P. Murtha flight deck is seen from the air boss tower ahead of the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, April 9, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Bill Ingalls/NASA

While conditions continue to look favorable, weather and ocean conditions will remain closely monitored right up to retry to determine if any small trajectory shifts are required to ensure the Orion spacecraft arrives home in the most favorable conditions possible.

Weather criteria needed for a nominal splashdown and recovery, according to NASA, are:

-Significant wave height must be less than six feet
-No precipitation or lightning within 35 miles
-Winds under 28 mph
-Good visibility and minimal cloud cover below a certain height

NASA

Artemis II splashdown corridor off the coast of California.

NASA

-ABC News' Daniel Peck

Apr 10, 2026 5:42 PM

Why the crew will lose communication with mission control during reentry

NASA

The Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings, April 7, 2026.

NASA

When the Artemis II crew begins reentry into Earth's atmosphere, the world will need to wait about six minutes for that proof -- the length of time that Mission Control will lose communication with the astronauts.

Unlike the 40-minute loss of communications experienced when the Orion crew module passed behind the moon, which physically blocked radio signals from reaching the spacecraft, loss of communication during reentry results from Orion's passage through Earth's atmosphere.

Artemis II crew awakened on last day in space

The Artemis II crew was awakened on the final day of their mission by the song "Run to the Water" by Live, followed by the Zac Brown Band song "Free."

Brown then shared a personal audio message with the crew.

NASA

The Orion spacecraft travels towards Earth, as the Artemis II crew prepares for splashdown, April 10, 2026.

NASA

The crew will prepare for their day and then spend time configuring the cabin for reentry, which will begin at approximately 7:53 p.m. ET.

Splashdown is still scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.

Apr 10, 2026 12:51 PM

'13 minutes of things that have to go right,' NASA official says of splashdown

NASA says the Artemis II return is on track, with teams focused on the final phase of the mission: the reentry, splashdown and recovery sequence.

From the moment Orion enters Earth’s atmosphere to the time it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, the entire sequence takes about 13 minutes.

“It’s 13 minutes of things that have to go right,” NASA Flight Director Jeff Radigan said during the final mission status briefing, adding that in his view, “it’s more, in my head, about an hour and a half of things that have to go right.”

NASA

The Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings, April 7, 2026.

NASA

Officials also addressed public visibility of entry and splashdown along the West Coast. Based on the planned trajectory, Radigan said, “I don’t expect it to be visible for the folks in California,” noting that the spacecraft will be targeting a landing area well offshore.

Bill Ingalls/NASA

View of the USS John P. Murtha flight deck is seen from the air boss tower ahead of the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, April 9, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Bill Ingalls/NASA

He cautioned the public to stay clear of the area, pointing to the debris that is expected to fall.

PHOTO: U.S. Navy personnel are seen in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha as they prepare equipment for the recovery of NASA's Orion spacecraft and extraction of the Artemis II crewmembers, April 8, 2026, off the coast of California.

Joel Kowsky/NASA

U.S. Navy personnel are seen in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha as they prepare equipment for the recovery of NASA's Orion spacecraft and extraction of the Artemis II crewmembers, April 8, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Joel Kowsky/NASA

NASA confirmed a small leak in the service module’s oxidizer system, but officials said it will not affect the return.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 06, 2026 9:14 PM

Artemis II crew to be closest to moon at 7:00 p.m. ET

NASA has said the Artemis II crew will now make its closest approach to the moon at 7:00 p.m. ET and will reach its furthest distance from Earth at 7:02 p.m. ET.

Previously, the crew was supposed to make its closest approach at 7:02 p.m. ET and reach maximum distance from the Earth at 7:07 p.m. ET.