By Zoila Palma: Four astronauts have safely returned to Earth after completing a groundbreaking mission that marked humanity’s first journey to the Moon in more than 50 years.
The crew of Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 5:07 p.m. PDT on April 10, 2026, concluding a nearly 10-day voyage that pushed the boundaries of human space exploration.
Aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission carried them as far as 252,756 miles from Earth, making it the farthest distance humans have ever traveled in space and surpassing the record set during the Apollo era.
“Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement. NASA is grateful to President Donald Trump and partners in Congress for providing the mandate and resources that made this mission and the future of Artemis possible,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Following splashdown, recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. military quickly reached the capsule and transported the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha for initial medical evaluations. They are expected to return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston shortly after. Over the course of the mission, the crew traveled a total of 694,481 miles, orbiting the Moon and gathering critical data for future exploration.
“The Artemis II crew is home,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “The entry, descent, and landing systems performed as designed and the final test was completed as intended. This moment belongs to the thousands of people across fourteen countries who built, tested, and trusted this vehicle.”
Launched on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center aboard NASA’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, the mission tested Orion’s systems with astronauts onboard for the first time. The crew conducted in-flight evaluations, manual piloting demonstrations, and life-support tests to confirm the spacecraft’s readiness for future deep-space missions.
“Artemis II proved the vehicle, the teams, the architecture, and the international partnership that will return humanity to the lunar surface,” Kshatriya added. “Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy carried the hopes of this world farther than humans have traveled in more than half a century.”
During their lunar flyby, the astronauts came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface and captured more than 7,000 images, including rare views of Earthrise and a solar eclipse from deep space. They also conducted scientific experiments to better understand how the human body responds to microgravity and radiation, laying the groundwork for long-duration missions.
“With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface,” Isaacman said. “We are building the future and taking the next steps toward a sustained human presence on the Moon.”
NASA officials say the success of Artemis II paves the way for the next mission, Artemis III, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a long-term presence as part of future exploration efforts that could eventually lead humans to Mars.
The post International News: Astronauts return after historic Artemis II journey around moon appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Four astronauts have safely returned to Earth after completing a groundbreaking mission that marked humanity’s first journey to the Moon in more than 50 years. The crew of Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 5:07 p.m. PDT on April 10, 2026, concluding a nearly 10-day
The post International News: Astronauts return after historic Artemis II journey around moon appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.