'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission

After their historic lunar flyby, the crew safely splashed down in the Pacific.

Last Updated: April 11, 2026, 5:12 PM EDT

NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.

A "textbook" splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.

Apr 01, 2026, 3:48 PM EDT

1 of 2 hatches closed on Orion spacecraft

The closeout crew has now closed the side hatch, one of two hatches on the Orion crew module. The remaining hatch that the team is working to close is the Launch Abort System hatch.

This comes after the space agency confirmed that the spacesuits of all four astronauts passed their leak checks while in the Orion module, which once again tested the suits' pressure, ensuring they are airtight.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 01, 2026, 2:51 PM EDT

Artemis II astronauts enter Orion crew module

With the help of their closeout crew, the Artemis II astronauts have entered the Orion crew module, which they named "Integrity."

CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen boards the Orion spacecraft at the top of the Artemis II rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 1, 2026.
NASA

This mission will be the first time humans travel into space on Orion.

Artemis II will be a crucial step in testing the systems on the spacecraft for future deep space missions back to the moon.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Apr 01, 2026, 2:29 PM EDT

Artemis II astronauts arrive at launchpad

The Artemis II crew has arrived at the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

NASA has said the four astronauts remain on track to launch at 6:24 p.m. ET.

Apr 01, 2026, 2:09 PM EDT

Artemis II astronauts head to the launchpad

The four-person Artemis II crew is heading to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"It's a great day for us. It's a great day for the team," mission commander Reid Wiseman told a crowd of family members, fans and media after exiting the Operations and Checkout Facility.

PHOTO: CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen with NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch walk out before traveling to the launch pad to board the Artemis II crewed lunar mission at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, April 1, 2026.
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen with NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch walk out before traveling to the launch pad to board the Artemis II crewed lunar mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 1, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The astronauts piled into an Astrovan to transport them across campus to the launch tower.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado and Mary Kekatos

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