Artemis II Splashdown: The astronauts successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. Miami time, as planned, concluding a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were taken to the recovery ship, where they will undergo medical checkups.
After the Orion capsule splashdown, NASA held a press conference to celebrate the success of the Artemis II mission and outline the next steps for the U.S. space agency in the coming years: “Building a base and never leaving the Moon.”
Those participating in the press conference included: Shaw Quinn, director of NASA’s exploration team; Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s exploration development systems; Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator; Rick Henfling, flight director of the Artemis II mission; and Howard Hu, Orion program director.
“What we experienced today was both inspiring and challenging. And when I say challenging, I mean that from now on we will work tirelessly to land on the Moon in 2028,” said Glaze. “Without a doubt, when we saw the sky completely clear and, in the middle of it, the capsule making a successful descent, that moment was wonderful,” Quinn emphasized, regarding the splashdown.
In that regard, Kshatriya highlighted the importance of the mission: “Without a doubt, this was the most important expedition in decades. It’s a turning point in understanding where we are and where we need to go as a team.”
For his part, Henfling referred to the blackout during reentry: “Although it’s rather brief, it’s a difficult and crucial time.” We don’t know how they are or what they’re doing. So during those seconds, we’re very expectant: it’s a learning experience for us too.”
“To all the children watching this, I would say one thing: never stop chasing your dreams. And if your dreams are the stars, chase them,” Hu added.
For his part, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined the agency’s next steps in a statement. “With Artemis II completed, we now confidently focus on assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never leave the Moon again,” he said.
