9 highlights from Artemis II's epic journey around the moon

With a splashdown successful the Pacific Ocean connected Friday evening, the epic Artemis II satellite mission came to an end.

Americans person been tracking the advancement of the four astronauts — commandant Reid Wiseman, aviator Victor Glover, and ngo specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — arsenic they looped astir the moon, pushing deeper into abstraction than anyone ever has before.

Here are 9 highlights from that groundbreaking trip. 

1. Artemis II ngo blasts disconnected from Florida

NASA's Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches connected a 10-day travel astir the satellite and back.  Aubrey Gemignani / NASA / Getty Images

The rocket lifted disconnected Wednesday, April 1, from the Kennedy Space Center successful Florida astatine 6:35 p.m. ET. The spectacular launch marked the archetypal piloted moonshot since the extremity of the Apollo programme 53 years ago. 

The Orion capsule and NASA's Space Launch System rocket had ne'er flown with radical aboard, and had made conscionable 1 unmanned trial flight. But the motorboat was representation perfect.

2. Orion unit spends archetypal time successful space

NASA's Orion spacecraft is pictured from 1 of the cameras mounted connected its star array wings connected April 7. At the clip this photograph was taken astatine 8:33 a.m. ET, the Artemis II unit was successful a slumber period. NASA via Getty Images

The unit woke up to a busy archetypal day, spending astir 24 hours orbiting the Earth portion they enactment their Orion capsule done its paces earlier NASA could springiness them the go-ahead for their travel astir the moon. Glover besides got a accidental to trial retired the manual controls connected the capsule up of aboriginal missions.

About 90% of the Orion capsule's life-support strategy had ne'er been tested earlier successful space. 

"We are going really, truly acold away. And that 1 24-hour orbit gives america clip to cheque retired each of our biology control, beingness enactment systems. ... Can it scrub our c dioxide? Can it support america alive? Can we portion water?" Wiseman told CBS News earlier the launch. "We've got to spell get those things tested earlier we property retired to the moon."

Of course, they were given the go.

3. Crew shares archetypal images of Earth from capsule

An representation of Earth taken by Artemis II commandant Reid Wiseman wrong the Orion capsule connected April 3, 2026. NASA via AP

As the satellite was glued to Artemis II's continued ngo successful space, those of america down connected the aboveground got to spot the first images of the afloat Earth from the capsule — a archetypal for quality eyes successful implicit 50 years.

A photograph taken by Wiseman became the archetypal released representation of Earth taken from the Orion capsule, connected April 3.

"Trust us. You look amazing. You look beautiful," Glover said, reflecting connected the presumption of Earth. "No substance wherever you're from or, you know, what you look like. We're each 1 people."

With a firing of the thrusters, the capsule hurled connected toward the moon.

4. Crew awaits travel astir moon, celebrates Easter

The Artemis II astronauts sent down Easter greetings arsenic their Orion spacecraft carried them toward a walk implicit the moon's usually unseen acold broadside the pursuing day. NASA

The satellite is simply a agelong mode from Earth — astir a four-day travel — truthful the unit had plentifulness of clip to anticipate its large mission.

"It was truly large to aftermath up this greeting and look retired the model and spot the afloat satellite disconnected the beforehand of the vehicle," Wiseman said from the capsule. "There's nary uncertainty wherever we are heading close present and truly admit each the enactment done there."

The unit had clip to celebrate Easter connected Sunday earlier slingshotting astir the acold broadside of the moon. They besides celebrated Hansen earning his golden astronaut wings connected his archetypal travel into space.

CBS News spoke to the unit astir 180,000 miles from Earth.

"We were catching glimpses of the acold side, the broadside that you tin ne'er spot from Earth," Wiseman said. "It conscionable looked antithetic retired the window, and that is wild. It conscionable truly enactment our spot successful the beingness successful perspective."

5. Crew names satellite crater aft Wiseman's precocious wife

This representation provided by NASA shows 2 tiny craters connected the heavy pockmarked lunar aboveground that the Artemis II unit suggested names for: Integrity, aft their spacecraft, and Carroll successful grant of Reid Wiseman's precocious wife, Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who died successful 2020. NASA

In an affectional tribute, Hansen said helium and chap unit members Koch and Glover chose to sanction a satellite crater "Carroll" aft commandant Wiseman's wife, who died of crab successful 2020. Hansen's crewmates could beryllium seen wiping distant tears arsenic helium shared the dedication.

"It is simply a agleam spot connected the satellite and we would similar to telephone that Carroll," Hansen said. Wiseman aboriginal said it was the astir profoundly profound infinitesimal of the mission.

He said his crewmates projected the memorial erstwhile they were each successful aesculapian quarantine a fewer days earlier launch.

"That was an affectional infinitesimal for me, and I conscionable thought that was conscionable a full treasure," Wiseman said during a space-to-ground quality league Wednesday.

6. Crew makes travel astir the moon, sets caller grounds for farthest flight

In this handout representation provided by NASA, Earth sets astatine 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, implicit the moon's curved limb. NASA

The ngo reached its apex connected Monday, April 6, erstwhile Orion went acheronian for 40 minutes connected the acold broadside of the moon.

The unit acceptable the grounds for the farthest region immoderate quality has traveled from Earth conscionable aft 7 p.m. ET that night.

The caller grounds — 252,756 miles from Earth — surpassed Apollo 13's grounds from 1970 by much than 4,000 miles, according to NASA. 

Days earlier, CBS News asked Koch what she would beryllium reasoning arsenic the unit moved retired of connection scope and became 1 of 4 radical connected the other broadside of the satellite portion the remainder of humanity was looking astatine the agleam side. "Gratitude," she said.

"If you could conscionable deliberation astir what it means to beryllium unneurotic and what it means to beryllium isolated from your loved ones during that time, and bespeak connected that, possibly we'll each travel to immoderate realization," Koch said.

7. Photos amusement eclipse, uncommon look astatine acold broadside of the moon

This representation taken by the Artemis II unit during their lunar flyby connected April 6, 2026, shows the satellite eclipsing the sun. NASA

Stunning photos taken by the crew were released connected Tuesday, April 7, 1 time aft their loop astir the moon, showing spectacular views and a star eclipse successful space. 

"While they are inspirational, and I deliberation a batch of america truly consciousness a small spot of what [the crew] were feeling, determination is simply a batch of subject down those images," Kelsey Young, the Artemis subject formation operations lead, told CBS News.

This photograph was taken arsenic the Artemis II unit flew implicit the terminator, the dividing enactment betwixt airy and acheronian connected the moon. The astronauts described this bound betwixt arsenic "anything but a consecutive line."  NASA via Getty Images

Among the shots was a stunning representation of the satellite eclipsing the sun. The eclipse was not disposable connected Earth, lone to the unit connected Orion. Glover said the images did not bash the hourlong spectacle justice.

"Because humans astir apt person not evolved to spot what we're seeing," helium said. "It is genuinely hard to describe. It is amazing."

See much of the breathtaking photos.

8. Crew heads backmost to Earth with plentifulness of memories 

The Artemis II unit instrumentality clip retired for a radical hug wrong the Orion spacecraft connected their mode home. NASA via Getty Images

With the satellite down them and getting smaller — the Earth up of them, getting bigger — the unit was stunned by what they had conscionable experienced.

"There were holes that, you know, craters that appeared to conscionable beryllium endless, bottomless pits," Glover said.

Hansen recalled the 40 minutes of vigor soundlessness successful heavy abstraction and what it was similar to suffer each interaction with Earth portion connected the moon's acold side.

"Wow, I'm really getting chills close present conscionable reasoning astir it, my palms are sweating, but it is astonishing to ticker your location satellite vanish down the moon," helium said.

9. Orion splashes down aft historical journey

NASA's Orion spacecraft with the Artemis II unit lands successful the Pacific Ocean disconnected the seashore of California connected Friday, April 10, 2026. Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images

As the capsule returned to Earth, it deed the discernible ambiance astir 75 miles supra the Pacific Ocean astatine a blistering velocity of 24,000 mph — accelerated capable to alert from Los Angeles to New York successful astir 6 minutes.

Within seconds, temperatures crossed its 16.5-foot-wide heat shield reached astir 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit — fractional arsenic blistery arsenic the disposable aboveground of the sun.

After a 6-minute communications blackout done the highest heating zone, Orion emerged for a parachute-assisted splashdown disconnected the seashore of San Diego, California. 

Miles Doran and Mark Strassmann contributed to this report.

In:

• Moon
• Artemis Program
• Space
• NASA