{"id":5997,"date":"2026-04-11T07:35:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T07:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-splash-down-on-earth-after-lunar-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T07:35:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T07:35:37","slug":"nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-splash-down-on-earth-after-lunar-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-splash-down-on-earth-after-lunar-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts splash down on Earth after lunar mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Crew safely complete first mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p data-start=\"84\" data-end=\"228\">NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts have returned safely to Earth, completing the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"230\" data-end=\"522\">The Orion spacecraft <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/10\/artemis-ii-splashdown-when-it-lands-risks-and-how-to-watch-live\">splashed down<\/a> in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:07pm local time (00:07 GMT) on Friday, following a high-speed re-entry through Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/gallery\/2026\/4\/5\/earth-in-rear-view-of-artemis-ii-astronauts\">Photos: Earth in rear-view of Artemis II astronauts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/6\/a-visual-guide-to-artemis-ii-and-previous-missions-to-the-moon\">A visual guide to Artemis II and previous missions to the moon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/10\/artemis-ii-splashdown-when-it-lands-risks-and-how-to-watch-live\">NASA prepares for Artemis II splashdown: When it happens and how to watch<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p data-start=\"230\" data-end=\"522\">Recovery teams were already in position, moving quickly to secure the capsule and bring the crew aboard.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"524\" data-end=\"646\">On board were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"648\" data-end=\"817\">Minutes before re-entry, Wiseman, the mission commander, radioed mission control: \u201cWe got a great view of the Moon out window 2 \u2013 looks a little smaller than yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"878\">\u201cGuess we\u2019ll have to go back,\u201d came the reply from Houston.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"880\" data-end=\"1068\">The return marked a crucial test for the Orion spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, demonstrating it can safely withstand the intense conditions of a lunar re-entry.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1070\" data-end=\"1351\">The capsule endured a dramatic 13-minute descent, slamming into the atmosphere at extreme speed. Temperatures on its exterior climbed to about 2,760 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to generate a plasma layer that briefly cut off communications with the crew.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1353\" data-end=\"1453\">Contact was restored as parachutes deployed, slowing Orion\u2019s descent before it gently hit the ocean.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1607\">Recovery crews later opened the hatch and began extracting the astronauts, who reported minor communication issues but were otherwise in good condition.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1609\" data-end=\"1776\">\u201cWe are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely and [are] set up for a series more,\u201d said NASA chief Jared Isaacman from a US Navy recovery ship.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1778\" data-end=\"2091\">The four astronauts <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/1\/nasas-artemis-ii-lifts-off-to-the-moon\">launched just over a week ago<\/a> from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, embarking on a 10-day journey that took them farther from Earth than any humans since the Apollo era.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1778\" data-end=\"2091\">They travelled around the far side of the Moon, testing systems designed for future missions, before heading back to Earth.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"a-new-perspective-on-earth\" data-start=\"547\" data-end=\"603\">A new perspective on Earth<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1161\" data-end=\"1382\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/1\/what-is-nasas-artemis-ii-moon-mission-and-when-will-it-launch\">Artemis II<\/a> is widely seen as a critical test flight for future Moon missions, particularly Artemis IV, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1384\" data-end=\"1778\">Engineers will now analyse key data from the mission, including the performance of the Orion capsule\u2019s heat shield as well as navigation systems and life-support technology, all essential for safely carrying humans deeper into space.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1384\" data-end=\"1778\">The return also included one of the most challenging phases of the journey: a brief communication blackout during re-entry, caused by intense heat building up around the spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1384\" data-end=\"1778\">But on top of its record-setting distance, the mission also marked other historic firsts. Glover became the first person of colour to travel around the moon, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1384\" data-end=\"1778\">During their journey, the crew reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse as well as meteorite impacts.<\/p>\n<p>Mission commander Wiseman reflected that \u201cwhat we really hoped in our soul is that we could, for just a moment, have the world pause \u2013 and remember that this is a beautiful planet in a very special place in our universe\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should all cherish what we have been gifted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every morning since the astronauts\u2019 departure, NASA has sent a song to Artemis II to start the day.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, the astronauts awoke to the tune of Live\u2019s song Run to the Water and the country hit Free, by Zac Brown Band.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4464163\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4464163\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/13882097-1775400344.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"A handout picture made available by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4464163\">Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman shares a picture of Earth taken from the Orion spacecraft\u2019s window on April 2, 2026 [NASA\/EPA]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crew safely complete first mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years. NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts have returned safely to Earth, completing the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years. The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:07pm &#8230; <a title=\"NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts splash down on Earth after lunar mission\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-splash-down-on-earth-after-lunar-mission\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts splash down on Earth after lunar mission\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}