Artemis moon mission in amazing photos as astronauts return to Earth

Artemis II's splashdown ended a hugely successful NASA Moon missionArtemis moon mission in amazing photos as astronauts return to EarthA series of stunning new photos have captured the Artemis II module's landmark but by-the-book splashdown in the Pacific Ocean just over a week after mission liftoffByLiam Doyle11:37, 11 Apr 2026Updated11:38, 11 Apr 2026|commentsIncredible photos have captured the landmark return of the Artemis II shuttle to Earth following a triumphant slingshot around the Moon that brought four astronauts further into space than ever before. The shuttle initiated its historic mission just one week ago, bringing NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen to the Moon for the first time since 1972. Their mission lasted nine days, one hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds, and took them 406,770.34 km (252,756 miles) from Earth, establishing an all-new astronautic record, and brought humanity's first-ever glimpse of the dark side of the Moon. The astronauts came crashing down on Saturday morning in a perfect landing that saw the Orion module plunge harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean at 12.07AM GMT (20:07 EDT). Artemis 2 splashdown live: Moon mission crew 'happy and healthy' after re-entry The jaw-dropping speed Artemis II will splash down to Earth is hard to fathom Incredible pictures have captured the splash landing, showing the crew hurling at an incredible 24,000mph before their walk onto the "front porch" and rescue at the hands of US officials. NASA hailed the operation as a "perfect bullseye splashdown", and administrator Jared Isaacman was left nearly lost for words. Speaking following the crew's arrival, he said: "Childhood Jared right now can't believe what I just saw. This is just the beginning. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon, bringing them back safely." With the astronauts safely back on Earth after they were seen exiting onto the flotilla that f...