Nasa astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, and Nasa astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, are seen sitting on a Navy MH‑60 Seahawk helicopter. Both wear orange suits and dark caps with embroidered text.

In pictures: Artemis II’s spectacular Moon mission, from launch to dramatic splashdown

By the Visual Journalism team 11 Apr 2026 Science

The crew of Artemis II are safely back on Earth after a successful splashdown, completing their historic loop around the Moon - a journey that took them farther from Earth than any humans before.

The Orion capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere at 400,000 feet and experienced a planned but tense six-minute communications blackout. In total, Orion took 13 minutes to reach the Pacific Ocean.

During the descent, the capsule deployed parachutes to slow it down ahead of landing.

Orion splashing down in a vast blue sea with parachutes deployed

“What a journey, we are stable one, four green crew members,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman radioed mission control to confirm the module was upright and his team was safe and healthy.

Recovery teams flew the crew to the US Navy transport ship USS John P. Murtha for initial medical checks, before heading to Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Houston and long-awaited family reunions.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, talk with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha
Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander cheering and being assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha
Astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, and Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist grinning while sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk

Crowds gathered at space centres across the US to watch the splashdown, including at the Air and Space Museum in San Diego, California.

A large indoor crowd sits beneath hanging aircraft at the Air and Space Museum in San Diego, California. In the foreground, a child in a spacesuit‑style outfit stands with both arms raised. People around the child are clapping or holding flags with a stars‑and‑stripes pattern. Rows of seated and standing spectators fill the background.
A crowd of people indoors sits tightly together at the Air and Space Museum in San Diego, California, many holding up phones. Several individuals toward the front have mouths open and arms raised. The background shows more people and part of an aircraft displayed overhead.

During the mission, Nasa released stunning images taken from the far side of the Moon.

One of the most spectacular is this photo, which Nasa has called Earthset. It shows the Earth slowly setting behind the Moon's horizon - a mirror image of the famous Earthrise photo taken during the Apollo 8 mission.

A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth, below, is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, the Moon's Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks

Another image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. Incredibly, the crew had this view of a total eclipse for nearly 54 minutes as they passed behind the Moon.

The Moon silhouetted in near-total darkness, surrounded by a faint halo of light and distant stars, during an eclipse

Before reaching the Moon, the crew of Artemis II had already sent home some incredible photos of the Earth as seen from high orbit and then beyond.

These were sights that no humans had experienced for more than 50 years, following the end of the Apollo missions in 1972.

The thrill of these views of our planet were clear from the reactions of the astronauts as they gazed out of the windows of the Orion crew capsule.

A partially illuminated Earth seen through a rectangular window inside the Orion capsule, framed by the dark interior and exposed wiring of the capsule
A fully illuminated Earth set against deep black space, showing continents, swirling clouds, and bright atmospheric edges

This shot of Earth showing the auroras glowing green at the north and south poles was one of the most widely shared.

Silhouette of astronaut Christina Koch’s face close to a window inside the Orion capsule, as she gazes at a brightly lit Earth floating against the darkness of space

As was this photo of Astronaut Christina Koch looking back at the Earth.

A slim, curved crescent of Earth emerging from darkness, with faint light highlighting clouds and continents along the illuminated edge

From inside Orion the astronauts could see the Earth as a crescent slowly growing smaller behind them as they continued on their 250,000 mile (400,000km) outward journey.

Covering that distance from the Earth to the Moon would take them four days.

Astronaut Victor Glover inside Orion looks out of a small circular window where a thin crescent Earth is visible against space. The inside of the capsule visible around the window shows exposed cables and internal mechanical systems

There was plenty to keep them busy on the way though.

As well as rehearsing the scientific observations they would make as they flew round the far side of the Moon, the crew ran safety drills, conducted scientific research, exercised and held media interviews. All within the confines of Orion's tiny crew capsule.

Astronauts inside the dimly lit Orion capsule, illuminated by green-tinted light as they work among panels, cables, and onboard equipment
Three astronauts on the Orion space capsule discussing something as part of their rehersal for the lunar observation.
Astronaut Jeremy Hansen inside Orion holds a mirror and shaves under bright cabin lighting, surrounded by cables, white insulation, and equipment

Meanwhile the Moon was growing larger in the view from Orion's windows.

View from inside the Orion capsule showing the Moon centered through a small rectangular window, with dense wiring, panels, and mechanical components surrounding the window frame

The 10-day Artemis II mission began on Wednesday 1 April when Nasa's SLS rocket blasted into the sky to carry its first crewed mission to the Moon in half a century.

A wide shot of the Artemis II rocket lifting off from its launch pad. A large cloud of smoke and dust billows out at the base as the rocket’s engines ignite. The orange‑and‑white rocket rises above the pad against a blue sky
A distant view of the Artemis II rocket ascending, leaving a tall column of smoke from the launch pad below. The rocket appears at the top of the frame with bright engine flames, set against a clear blue sky with scattered clouds
A view of the Artemis II rocket climbing steeply into the sky, with a long, bright plume of flame trailing behind it. The sky appears dark blue, contrasting with the glowing exhaust

The powerful rocket left a trail of smoke in its wake after the successful lift-off as it reached a speed of more than 10,000mph (16,100km/h).

The twin boosters separated from the rocket as it shot towards the edge of the Earth's atmosphere, before crossing the boundary into space.

A tall, twisting column of white smoke left by the Artemis II rocket stretches upward into a deep blue sky, forming a curved, textured plume that narrows toward the top where the rocket has ascended out of frame
A distant view of the Artemis II rocket during ascent, showing two bright booster flames peeling away in opposite directions and leaving faint smoke trails, while the main rocket continues upward as a glowing point of light against a dark blue sky

A live video feed from on board the Orion crew capsule gave us the first glimpse of what the astronauts could see.

"Great view," declared spacecraft Commander Reid Wiseman. "We have got a great Moonrise."

A view from the Orion spacecraft showing part of its exterior structure and solar panels in the foreground, with the curved edge of Earth visible in the background against the blackness of space. The planet appears bright blue and white, showing cloud patterns over the surface

There were concerns that poor weather might scupper the launch but the clouds cleared just in time for the Artemis II crew to begin their journey.

Crowds of people gathered along Florida’s Space Coast to watch the event, with many of them at viewing points in Titusville, a city across the Indian River from Nasa’s launch complex.

A line of people stands on a low concrete barrier, looking up at the Artemis II launch. Several hold phones toward the sky, while others watch with hands clasped or shading their eyes. The group includes young adults and teenagers, all lit by the bright sky behind them
A family watching the Artemis II launch. A man holds a baby while a woman beside him carries a young boy on her shoulders and cheers, holding up her phone to film the rocket. Other spectators in the background also look up, some taking photos
A crowd of spectators watches the Artemis II launch, many holding up phones to photograph or film the moment. A woman in the foreground records with a smartphone, while people behind her look upward, some wearing Nasa‑themed shirts and caps
A view from behind a crowd of people watching the Artemis II launch in Florida. Everyone is staring at the rocket in the distance as it rises into the clear blue sky leaving a vertical plume of vapour behind it tracing its journey. Some people are capturing the moment on their phones

The astronauts were carried into space by Nasa’s mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) - the most powerful rocket the US space agency has ever built.

Rebecca Morelle, the BBC’s science editor who was at the launch, described the moment as “spectacular” as she became visibly emotional at the sight.

You can watch her reaction to the launch in the video below.

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The crew of four is made up of Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen and three Americans - Nasa Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch.

There were some emotional moments, but they otherwise looked quite relaxed as they were waved off by friends and family at the Kennedy Space Center before being driven to the launch site.

They are the first people to orbit the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The four astronauts, dressed in their distinctive orange suits, walk out of the operations building and wave to friends and family at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the launch of the Artemis II
Pilot Victor Glover poses for a photo with his family as he leaves the operations building. He is smiling and showing a thumbs up to the camera as his family, who are wearing black t-shirts with a photo of Glover on, smile
Nasa astronaut Christina Koch smiles and waves as she boards the astronaut van with the crew of the Artemis II mission before heading to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center

The Artemis II mission represents far more than the 10-day journey itself and is seen as a pivotal moment for space exploration.

Nasa hopes it will bring a new understanding of the Moon and eventually lead to the first lunar landing since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.

Speaking after the launch, Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman said: “After a brief 54 year intermission, Nasa is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon.”

An image of the Moon taken during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 that shows dozens of craters varying in size across the surface, with large dark patches in some areas.
A view of the Moon captured during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972

Image credits

NASA handout/EPA/Shutterstock, Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images, Reuters/Sandy Huffaker, Brendan McDermid/Reuters, Jim Watson/AFP, Cristóbal Herrera/EPA/Shutterstock, Steve Nesius/Reuters, Nasa TV, Marco Bello/Reuters, Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, NASA/Central Press/Getty Images.

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