Artemis II astronauts hurtle home from moon toward splashdown

April 10, 2026 12:08 PM

Artemis II astronauts hurtle home from moon toward splashdown

The four Artemis II astronauts, returning from the world's first crewed moon voyage in over half a century, hurtled back toward Earth on Friday aboard their gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft, headed for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. The finale to NASA's celebrated 10-day mission was expected to begin with separation of Orion's crew capsule from its service module, followed by a fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere and a six-minute radio blackout before the capsul...

NASA Artemis II astronauts prepare to end moon mission in ‘fireball’ re-entry

April 9, 2026 11:27 AM

NASA Artemis II astronauts prepare to end moon mission in ‘fireball’ re-entry

Four astronauts traveling back to Earth from the far side of the moon on NASA's Artemis II mission spoke of their emotions as they wrapped up the unprecedented flight and prepared to re-enter the atmosphere in a "fireball", during their first press conference from space on Wednesday. The Artemis II crew, flying in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week, are due to splash down off the Southern California coast on Friday evening after reaching the moon earlier this week. T...

Artemis capsule boost puts astronauts moon-bound for record-breaking journey

April 3, 2026 11:21 AM

Artemis capsule boost puts astronauts moon-bound for record-breaking journey

The Orion capsule carrying four astronauts in NASA's Artemis II mission executed a key thruster firing on Thursday that will kick the crew out of Earth's orbit and on a path toward the moon, committing them to reaching the farthest distance humans have ever traveled in space. The successful maneuver put the crew on a path to enter the moon's sphere of gravitational influence by Sunday morning, as they prepare to beat the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. "We are getting just a beautifu...