The four astronauts of the Artemis II mission were welcomed at Houston’s Ellington Field on Saturday, 11 April, one day after their spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at Mach 39 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, concluding a 10-day deep-space flight.

The mission covered 694,481 miles around the far side of the Moon, setting a new human distance record previously held since Apollo 13 in 1970.

NASA said the flight provided key validation data for systems needed for future long-duration lunar missions, including the Orion spacecraft’s environmental control and life support systems, which were tested with a crew on board for the first time.

The astronauts also conducted manual piloting maneuvers to assess spacecraft handling for future docking and rendezvous operations.

During the homecoming event, the crew reflected on the physical, emotional, and psychological demands of the mission. NASA astronaut Christina Koch described Earth as a “lifeboat” suspended in space, emphasizing humanity's shared connection.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman highlighted the sacrifices of families during the flight and said the crew formed a lasting bond during the journey. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen described the mission as a reflection of humanity’s potential, while pilot Victor Glover said the experience was “too big to just be in one body.”

The crew also collected more than 7,000 high-resolution images of the lunar surface, documenting terrain features relevant to future exploration of the Moon’s South Pole. Biological data gathered during the AVATAR experiment will be used to study the effects of microgravity and deep-space radiation on human tissue for future long-duration missions.

The next step for Artemis III

With Orion’s flight test phase now complete, NASA and the aerospace community are turning to the next stage of the Artemis program. At a ceremony in Houston, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the mobile launcher used for Artemis II is being prepared to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building for the stacking of the Artemis III rocket.

He said the mission marks NASA’s return to lunar exploration, adding that the next flight, targeted for 2028, aims to land astronauts on the Moon.

Officials said data and hardware validation from Artemis II will support development of a sustained lunar presence under the Artemis program, which is designed to establish long-term operations on the Moon and support future missions to Mars.