Astronauts Return From Journey Around The Moon

April 13, 2026

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Scenes of NASA's Orion spacecraft carrying Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, along with Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) returning from their journey around the moon ... splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California with the astronauts being airlifted on April 10, 2026 ... then proudly sharing brief remarks with friends, family, and colleagues after they landed at Ellington Airport near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on April 11, 2026.

The Artemis II test flight launched on April 1, 2026 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin its 10-day journey around the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and the U.S. military are coordinating efforts to extract the Artemis II crew from the Orion spacecraft.

Collage image created by USA Patriotism! from NASA photos by James Blair and Helen Arase Vargas.