Artemis II Astronauts Return Home After Historic Lunar Mission

On April 11, 2026, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission received a hero's welcome at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Following their successful 10-day test flight, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have officially returned home.

Launched on April 1, the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, affectionately named Integrity, traveled a record-breaking 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the distance record previously held by Apollo 13.

During their mission, the crew performed a lunar flyby, coming within 4,067 miles of the Moon's surface.

This historic journey marked the first time humans ventured beyond low-Earth orbit since 1972.

The success of the heat shield during the high-speed re-entry into Earth's atmosphere was a critical milestone.

This mission serves as a major step toward future lunar landings, with NASA now turning its attention to the Artemis III mission, which aims to further test lunar docking procedures.