April 10, 2026 — NASA declared a milestone moment Friday after the four-member Artemis II crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, completing a 10-day mission that orbited the moon.
At a post-splashdown news conference, agency leaders celebrated the flight as the beginning of a new chapter in human space exploration and emphasized the work still ahead to put astronauts back on the lunar surface. A NASA deputy associate administrator opened the event with a simple declaration: ‘So, y’all, we did it.’ Orion program manager Howard Hu added that the mission marks ‘the start of a new era of human space exploration.’
Associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said the successful return clears an important path toward landing people on the moon, saying, ‘The path to the lunar surface is open’ and urging that this effort be about returning to stay rather than simply planting flags.
NASA has targeted 2028 for Artemis IV, the mission planned to land a crew on the lunar surface.
After descent and splashdown off the coast of California, the four astronauts were assisted out of the Orion capsule into an inflatable ‘front porch’ raft to readapt to Earth’s gravity. The first crewmember’s exit drew cheers from Mission Control; all four—commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—were out of the capsule within minutes.
Crew members were then hoisted into waiting Navy helicopters and flown to the USS John P. Murtha, stationed off San Diego, for initial medical checks and debriefing.
NASA officials described the mission as a successful proving ground for Orion, the crewed capsule systems and return operations, and said the experience will inform preparations for subsequent Artemis missions as the agency works toward sustainable lunar exploration.