Astronauts on NASA’s Moon mission Artemis II returned from the Moon over the Pacific Ocean on Friday, concluding humanity’s first lunar journey in more than half a century. Spacecraft Orion landed safely in the Pacific Ocean after a successful 10-day mission. Artemis 2’s landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California was broadcast on Netflix and NASA’s YouTube channel.

Commander Reed Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch (NASA) and Jeremy Hanson (Canadian Space Agency) aboard the Orion spacecraft completed a historic journey of almost 10 days. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean about 40-60 miles off the coast of San Diego, where a US Navy recovery team provided immediate assistance.

#WATCH | The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean after nearly 10 days in space

The crew will be assisted out of the capsule one by one.

(Source: NASA/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/3YKM0y2WWy

— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2026

New record for the farthest journey in human history

It was the first visit by humans to the Moon in 53 years since Apollo 17 (1972). The crew took a closer look at the far side of the Moon and set a new record for the farthest journey in human history. Approximately 4,06,771 kilometers. During the trip he took photographs of the Moon, made scientific observations and even observed a total solar eclipse. NASA said that the Orion spacecraft moved at 32 times the speed of sound while re-entering the atmosphere and after enduring thousands of degrees of temperature, it slowly landed on water at a speed of 17 miles per hour with the help of a parachute.

#WATCH | The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean after nearly 10 days in space

(Source – NASA TV via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/4jC0OESGxv

— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2026

First big step towards establishing a base on the Moon

The astronauts, who left from Florida on April 1, efficiently executed NASA’s much-awaited lunar mission and achieved many achievements one after the other. This mission was the first major step towards establishing a permanent base on the Moon. Artemis II neither landed on nor orbited the Moon, but it broke Apollo 13’s distance record and set the record for the longest distance humans have ever flown from Earth. When the crew reached a distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). In the most emotional scene of the mission, the astronauts asked permission to name two craters after their Chandrayaan and Wiseman’s late wife, Carol.

This mission is an important part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human base on the Moon and send human missions to Mars. Artemis III is planned to land on the lunar surface.