Artemis II returning to Earth for splashdown to end historic moon mission

For the last time of their mission, the Artemis II astronauts woke up astatine 11:35 a.m. ET to the tunes of "Run to the Water" by Live, selected by the crew, and "Free" by Zac Brown Band. 

"What a large mode to commencement the day, Houston. Courage and grit. That'll instrumentality with maine and it should instrumentality with each of you each time long," commandant Reid Wiseman said.

At wake-up time, they were 61,326 miles from Earth.

A time earlier, NASA shared the crew's greeting playlist connected Spotify. "Each way was selected by the Moon crew, continuing a contented that started much than 50 years ago," NASA wrote connected societal media.

Read much and spot the database of songs here.

"Rise," the plush ngo mascot aboard Artemis II, has served an important relation arsenic the crew's zero-gravity indicator during the travel astir the moon. 

Rise besides became a viral sensation, floating done videos and photos from the Artemis II crew, and carried the names submitted to NASA's "Send Your Name with Artemis" campaign. 

The Artemis II unit — clockwise from left: Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover — intermission for a radical photograph with their zero-gravity indicator "Rise," floating astatine little right. NASA

The adorable plush is the brainchild of 8-year-old Lucas Ye. The California second-grader made definite to see humanities references successful each portion of the plush's plan and ensured it would conscionable NASA's strict standards. 

Someday, helium says, helium hopes to go an astronaut himself.

Read much astir however Rise was designed and developed.

CBS News volition person unrecorded sum arsenic the Artemis II ngo comes to an extremity aft 9 days successful space. 

• What: Artemis II unit returns to Earth.
• Date: Friday, April 10, 2026. 
• Time: Live sum begins astatine 7:30 p.m. ET.  Splashdown is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.
• Location: Splashdown disconnected the seashore of San Diego, California.
• Online stream: Live connected CBS News successful the video subordinate supra and connected your mobile oregon streaming device. 

Astronaut Victor Glover told reporters that watching the prima vanish down the satellite successful a star eclipse was the item of the ngo for him.

"We saw large simulations made by our lunar subject team, but erstwhile that really happened, it conscionable blew america each away," helium said during a quality league Wednesday. "Launching connected April 1 meant the acold broadside (of the moon) wasn't arsenic illuminated arsenic we were hoping. And truthful (the eclipse) seemed to beryllium a consolation, and it was 1 of the top gifts of that portion of the mission."

The moon, seen present backlit by the prima during a star eclipse connected April 6, 2026, is photographed by 1 of the cameras connected the Orion spacecraft's star array wings. Orion is disposable successful the foreground connected the left.  NASA via Getty Images

Asked astir the splashdown, Glover said he's been reasoning of that infinitesimal ever since helium was assigned to the crew. He besides said determination volition beryllium overmuch much to stock erstwhile they're backmost connected Earth.

"All the bully worldly is coming backmost with us. There (are) truthful galore much pictures, truthful galore much stories. And gosh, I haven't adjacent begun to process what we've been through," helium said. "Riding a fireball done the ambiance is profound arsenic well. I'm going to beryllium reasoning astir and talking astir each of these things for the remainder of my life, for sure."

Read much here.

President Trump told the unit of NASA's Artemis II ngo they had "inspired the full world" successful a 12-minute chat precocious Monday, aft they looped astir the satellite connected their record-breaking voyage.

"Today, you've made past and made each America truly proud," helium said. "Humans person ne'er truly seen thing rather similar what you're doing successful a manned spacecraft. It's truly special."

Mr. Trump praised the astronauts for their "courage" and "genius" — and noted that their travel is simply a precursor to NASA's bid to instrumentality humans to the aboveground of the satellite for the archetypal clip successful implicit fractional a century.

"America is simply a frontier nation, and the 4 brave astronauts of Artemis II … truly are modern-day pioneers," the president said, adding that the U.S. plans to "push connected to Mars" next.

Read much here.

The unit captured stunning photos during the mission, with spectacular views from the acold broadside of the satellite and an eclipse successful space. 

One representation from NASA showed "Earthset" — the Earth dipping down the moon. Part of the Earth is seen successful darkness, portion Australia and Oceania are disposable connected the planet's surface. Details of the satellite look successful the photo's foreground. 

"Humanity, from the different side," the White House said astir the image.

Earthset captured done the Orion spacecraft model astatine 6:41 p.m. ET, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew's flyby of the moon. NASA

Another stunning photograph showed the satellite eclipsing the sun. The eclipse was not disposable from Earth, lone to the unit aboard the spacecraft, and the astronauts needed to deterioration eclipse glasses to support their eyes until the satellite wholly covered the sun.

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

See much here.

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

"Some times of the moon's transit astir Earth we volition beryllium capable to spot this," helium said of the crater. "... And it's a agleam spot connected the moon. And we would similar to telephone it Carroll."

Wiseman aboriginal said it was the astir profoundly profound infinitesimal of the mission.

"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.

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

Before launch, the subject squad had helped place a fewer comparatively caller craters connected the satellite that had not been antecedently named. The unit projected naming different of the craters "Integrity" aft the sanction of their Orion spacecraft.

Read much here.

The unit of Artemis II acceptable the grounds for the farthest region immoderate quality has traveled from Earth conscionable aft 7 p.m. ET connected Monday arsenic their Orion spacecraft looped astir the acold broadside of the moon. 

The caller grounds — 252,756 miles from Earth — surpassed Apollo 13's grounds from 1970 by much than 4,000 miles, according to NASA. The unit had exceeded Apollo 13's grounds earlier successful the day.

The region grounds was 1 of 2 large moments for the unit connected Monday night. The Orion capsule besides made its closest attack to the satellite erstwhile it flew 4,067 miles supra the surface.

Both milestones came without vigor interaction to NASA backmost connected Earth. Since the satellite blocked Orion, and its signal, from Earth, the unit entered a planned 40-minute nonaccomplishment of connection until it came retired connected the different side.