Loading Video…
This browser does not support the Video element.
The Artemis II crew has now traveled farther from Earth than any other human ever on its way to the moon. At 1:57 p.m. on Monday, April 6, Artemis II's astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, traveled more than 248,655 miles from Earth, breaking the previous record set by the historic Apollo 13 mission in 1970. The Artemis II crew is expected to reach a maximum distance of 252,752 miles from Earth as it conducts a flyby of the moon – the pivotal part of its 10-day lunar mission.
When does Artemis II return from its 10-day mission to the moon, and where will the crew land?
Artemis II has flown farther from Earth than any other human space flight, passing the previous record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970. Artemis II is also the first crewed flight to view the far side of the moon.
Here's what you need to know about Artemis II's return to Earth.
When does Artemis II return to Earth?
Artemis II lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. on April 1. It is set to splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California on Friday, April 10 at approx. 8:07 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Though those times could shift.
Loading Video…
This browser does not support the Video element.
NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B, sending four astronauts aboard the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon, officials said.
What happens after they splashdown?
After the Artemis II splashes down in the Pacific Ocean near California, recovery teams will retrieve the astronauts and fly them via helicopter to the USS John P. Mutha. They will then be evaluated on the ship. When cleared, Artemis II's crew will be flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, NASA said.
What has Artemis II been looking at while on the mission?
During the hours-long flight to the moon and back, NASA and Artemis II's astronauts have been testing the Orion spacecraft, their spacesuits, and the technology needed to fly to the moon.
During the lunar flyby, the Artemis II were tasked with photographing, observing, and analyzing nearly 30 targets on the moon's surface, including the Orientale basin, a 3.8-billion-year-old, 600-mile-wide crater on the moon's surface, and the Hertzsprung basin, a 400-mile crater northwest of the Orientale basin.
They also took photos, videos, and made voice memos during the mission, according to NASA broadcasts of the lunar flyby, and provided descriptions of the lunar surface to NASA scientists back on Earth.
Artemis II photos
An illuminated sliver of Earth set against the blackness of space is seen through the window of the Orion spacecraft in this photograph from the Artemis II crew on the third day of their journey to the Moon. Credit: NASA A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. Credit: NASA A view of a backlit Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. Credit: NASA Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day into the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA Artemis II commander and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman looks out one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows at the Moon ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch looks out one of the Orion spacecraft's windows back at Earth ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA Artemis II pilot and NASA astronaut Victor Glover peers out one of the Orion spacecraft's windows looking back at Earth ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA Artemis II mission specialist and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen peers out one of the Orion spacecraft's windows looking back at Earth ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA Artemis II crewmember sleeping bags are illuminated inside the Orion spacecraft on Flight Day 5 of the mission and ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. Credit: NASA A thin arc glowing in the darkness of space. Sunlight traces the curves of the ocean and clouds, while the rest of the planet fades into shadow. Credit: NASA The Artemis II crew is en route to the Moon on the second flight day of the mission. This photo shows the Orion spacecraft with the Moon in the distance, as captured by a camera on the tip of one of its solar array wings. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft's window on April 2, 2026, after completing the translunar injection burn. Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, seen here on the fourth day of the mission, prepping for lunar flyby activities after completing aerobic exercise on the flywheel device. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Christina Koch is illuminated by a screen inside the darkened Orion spacecraft on the third day of the agency's Artemis II mission. To the right of the image's center, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen is seen in profile peering out of one of Orion's windows. Lights are turned off to avoid glare on the windows. Credit: NASA Artemis II mission specialist and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen enjoys a shave inside the Orion spacecraft during Flight Day 5 and ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credit: NASA In this fully illuminated view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth), is visible on the right. It is identifiable by the dark splotches that cover its surface. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the Moon’s history when it was volcanically active. The large crater west of the lava flows is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides. Orientale's left half is not visible from Earth, but in this image we have a full view of the crater. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side, the hemisphere we don’t get to see from Earth because the Moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits round us. Credit: NASA A view of the nearside of the Moon, the side we always see from Earth. Some of the far side is visible, as well, on the left edge, just beyond the black patch that is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides and is partly visible from Earth. The dark areas in the center and right side of the disk are ancient lava flows, which are unique to the near side of the Moon. The white dot at the bottom of the disk, with white rays shooting out from it, is Tycho crater, one of the younger craters on the Moon at 108 million years old. Credit: NASA Before going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew close in the window of the Orion spacecraft. Orion and the four humans aboard entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:37 a.m. EDT on April 6, at the tail end of the fifth day of their mission. That marked the point at which the Moon's gravity had a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Earth's. Artemis II's closet approach to the Moon will come on flight day 6, as they swing around the far side before beginning their journey back to Earth. About an hour after entering the lunar sphere of influence, Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch said, "We are now falling to the Moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!"' Credit: NASA Meet the Artemis II astronauts
FILE - NASA astronauts (left to right) Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen. (Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, marking Canada’s first astronaut to fly on a lunar mission.
The Source: Artemis II lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026. It is expected to splashdown off the coast of California on Friday, April 10. Information is from NASA.