Successful Completion of Artemis II Mission: Orion Spacecraft Returns to Earth After Lunar Flyby
The Orion spacecraft's crew capsule from the Artemis II mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 03:07 MSK on April 11, 2026, or 20:07 Eastern Time. The splashdown site was several dozen kilometers off San Diego, California. The mission lasted just over nine days from launch on April 2. The crew traveled 1.1 million km, set a record distance from Earth, and took 7,000 photos of the Moon.
Half an hour before splashdown, the service module separated nominally. Fifteen minutes before water contact, the spacecraft entered the dense atmosphere layers: plasma formed, and communications blacked out for several minutes. After splashdown, NASA confirmed all four astronauts were in excellent condition. US Navy motorboats handled the recovery; the astronauts exited the capsule after an hour and a half, transferred to an inflatable raft, and were helicoptered to the USS John P. Murtha.
Crew and Launch
Crew: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The SLS rocket with Orion launched on April 2 at 01:35 MSK from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Key Flight Stages
- Lunar Flyby: the spacecraft flew 8,047 km beyond the Moon, maximum distance from Earth — 406,771 km (April 7, 02:02:51 MSK). The flyby lasted nearly seven hours, closest approach distance — 6,550 km.
- Observations: five hours viewing the Sun-lit lunar surface, studying the far side with the naked eye (first in 50 years).
- Eclipse: unique vantage point for a total solar eclipse outside Earth — the first in history from a crewed spacecraft. The Sun's corona was visible.
- Photos: more than 30 lunar features, Earthset (first frame since 1972, Apollo 17), Earth from the Moon's far side, outlines of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula with auroras.
The astronauts used radiation-hardened Nikon D5 cameras. Starting with Artemis II and Crew-12 missions, personal smartphones are allowed: the iPhone 17 Pro Max captured Earth in zero gravity.
Technical Incidents
During the flight, the following issues were recorded:
- Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) — the onboard toilet — malfunctioned several times.
- On the astronauts' personal PCs, Microsoft Outlook duplicated, and neither version functioned.
The problems were fixed from Mission Control Center.
Scientific Results and Plans
The crew conducted research during the flyby and obtained unique Earth photos — the first from a thousand-kilometer distance since Apollo. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted the resumption of crewed lunar flights with a safe return. Next steps: lunar landing in 2028 and base construction.
What Matters
- Distance record: 406,771 km from Earth.
- First visual observations of the Moon's far side in 50+ years.
- Historic photos: Earthset, eclipse from the Moon, full Earth.
- Incidents: UWMS and Outlook glitches, resolved remotely.
- Gear: Nikon D5 and iPhone 17 Pro Max in space.
— Editorial Team
No comments yet.