Cheers erupted in NASA mission control as confirmation came through that all systems had performed as expected during re-entry and recovery operations, supported by the US Navy.
As Orion re-entered, the spacecraft tore through Earth’s atmosphere at speeds exceeding 38,600km/h for a period, with temperatures expected to reach nearly 3,000°C during part of the descent, slowed with the aid of parachutes to approximately 32 kilometres per hour before landing in the ocean.
After a journey of more than a week, the Orion spacecraft splashed down safely off the coast of California, carrying its four-person crew back from a historic lunar flyby, the first time astronauts, including Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are the first people have travelled beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo era.
Hansen, speaking during the mission in remarks released by the Canadian Space Agency, reflected on the perspective gained from deep space, said, "Witnessing Earth beyond the edge of the Moon is a powerful reminder that we all share this one planet."
NASA said the mission’s success clears the way for Artemis III, which is intended to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade, including the first woman and the next man to walk on the Moon.
This was reinforced by the Trump Administration's new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman who said from the deck of a Navy ship engaged in the pickup, "We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely and [are] set up for a series more."
The Artemis program is also designed to establish a sustained human presence in lunar orbit and on the surface, as a precursor to future missions to Mars.
The successful return of Artemis II is being seen as a critical proof point for both the Orion spacecraft and NASA’s broader deep space exploration ambitions, demonstrating that the agency can once again send humans safely into deep space and bring them home.
More to come.
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