A new video shows the moment four astronauts aboard Artemis II returned home from space on Friday, following a ten-day mission.
The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific, and Navy rescuers moved in. The video shows plenty of handshakes, “Welcome home,” and a few cheers as divers reached the capsule.
They helped the four astronauts out, moved them onto a raft, then hoisted them into a helicopter.
From there, the crew was flown to the USS John Murtha for medical checks.
The mission lasted ten days — an around-the-moon flight without a landing — covering roughly 700-thousand miles and capturing new lunar images.
What comes next for space travel?
Now, NASA shifts to the next step.
Artemis III — set for next year — will keep astronauts in Earth’s orbit as they practice docking the Orion capsule with a commercial lunar lander.
That’s a critical step before any return to the moon.
And after that, Artemis IV, targeting 2028, could put astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17.