HOUSTON — Artemis II's astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity's first lunar voyage in more than a half-century.
The Artemis II Orion capsule splashes down Friday in the Pacific Ocean.
The Artemis II crew, counterclockwise from top left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover pose with eclipse viewers Monday during a lunar flyby.
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A bright portion of the moon is photographed Monday by the Artemis II crew.
Matthew Trees, left, an experimental flight test engineer who worked on the space launch system for Artemis I, his girlfriend Katherin Rohlfing, center, and friend Jordan Stringfield, who is also an experimental flight engineer, celebrate Friday as Orion returns to Earth during an Artemis II splashdown viewing party at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
The Artemis II Orion capsule, right, separates from the service module Friday above the Earth in preparation for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II astronauts conduct historic NASA mission
In this photo provided by NASA, the Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers aboard approaches the surface of the Pacific Ocean for splashdown off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
People look up at the sky during a watch party for the return of NASA's Artemis II in Coronado, Calif., Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
In this photo provided by NASA, U.S. Navy divers prepare to deploy in small boats from the well deck of USS John P. Murtha to recover Artemis II crew members NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist and NASA's Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Employees of the Canadian Space Agency react during the successful launch of the Artemis II moon mission, at the Canadian Space Agency, in Longueuil, Quebec, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa city councillor Tim Tierney wears a costume astronaut helmet as he joins others watching the launch of Artemis II on a livestream displayed on the Kipnes Lantern of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
NASA emplyees react as astronauts leave the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Photographers set up remote cameras near NASA's Artemis II moon rocket on Launch Pad 39-B just before sunrise at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Artifacts sit in the Apollo Mission Control room at Johnson Space Center on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
People react on Elgin Street as the Artemis II moon rocket lifts off, on a livestream displayed on the Kipnes Lantern of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Mission Commander Reid Wiseman makes a heart with his hands as he leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
This photo provided by NASA shows the exterior of the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the Moon's crater on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen as they answer media questions during a video conference Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this image of Orion spacecraft pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, The Artemis II crew captured this view of an Earthset on Monday, April 6, 2026, as they flew around the Moon. (NASA via AP)
Astronauts , from left, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, of Canada, Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch leave the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Members of the Cleveland Guardians warm up as NASA'S Artemis ll rocket is seen prior to launch from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on the big screen above them prior to a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
In this photo provided by NASA, guests watch the launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission to the moon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
