New York: In a groundbreaking moment for space exploration, the crew of Artemis II has safely returned to Earth after completing a spectacular 10-day journey around the Moon. The Orion spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 5:07 AM (IST) and made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 5:37 AM.
The mission etched its place in history as astronauts traveled around the far side of the Moon—a region invisible from Earth—for the first time in 54 years. During this phase, communication with Earth was lost for about 40 minutes, adding to the mission’s intensity.
Setting a new milestone, the Artemis II crew has now become the humans who have ventured the farthest from Earth. They surpassed the long-standing record of the Apollo 13 crew (1970) by reaching an astonishing distance of 406,771 km from Earth.
This is also the first crewed mission to travel to the Moon’s vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972. While Apollo 17 astronauts landed on the lunar surface, Artemis II focused on orbiting the Moon and returning safely.
The mission builds on the success of Artemis I (2022), which tested the Orion spacecraft without astronauts.
With this achievement, the United States takes a major step forward in its ambitious plan to send humans back to the Moon—aiming to accomplish a lunar landing in the upcoming Artemis missions.
