11.04.2026 08:02
The Artemis II mission, which is NASA's first crewed journey around the Moon since 1972, was successfully completed with 4 astronauts safely returning to Earth. The mission marked the first crewed flight around the Moon after more than half a century.
The Artemis II mission, which is NASA's first manned journey around the Moon since 1972, has been successfully completed.
The Orion spacecraft, which brought NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen back to Earth, landed with the help of parachutes off the coast of San Diego, USA, at 17:07 local time. Mission Commander Reid Wiseman confirmed that all crew members were in good health after the landing. The four astronauts, who were extracted from the Orion spacecraft with the help of a team from the U.S. Navy, were transferred by helicopters to the "USS John P. Murtha" ship for medical checks.
TRUMP CONGRATULATES ARTEMIS II CREW
After the completion of the mission, U.S. President Donald Trump published a message on social media congratulating the Artemis II crew. Stating that the entire journey and landing went wonderfully, Trump said, "I couldn't be prouder as the President of the United States." He expressed that he looks forward to hosting the Artemis II crew at the White House soon, saying, "We will do this again, and the next step is Mars!"
ARTEMIS II CREW ACHIEVED A FIRST AFTER YEARS
The Artemis II mission, which is NASA's first manned journey around the Moon since 1972, officially began on April 1. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with four astronauts was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 18:35 local time. It was reported that the crew would not land on the Moon's surface but would depart from Earth's orbit to visit previously unseen parts of the Moon. The four astronauts involved in the mission reached the farthest distance ever achieved in human history, approximately 406,765 kilometers away from Earth. Thus, the previous record set during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970 was broken by an additional distance of 6,602 kilometers.
Additionally, this journey marked the first manned flight around the Moon after more than half a century.