GoKawiilThe Artemis II crew -- (clockwise from left) Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover -- take time out for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. NASA
The crew of Artemis II has done incredible things since leaving Earth nine days ago. They beat Apollo 13's record for the farthest ever space travel; they took some gorgeous photography during their lunar flyby; they proposed two new crater names, one of which honors Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll. Now they have one final, crucial leg of their journey: getting home safely.
Artemis II is a historic mission for NASA. Last week, the team of American and Canadian astronauts departed Earth in a 332-foot-tall rocket to do something that humanity hasn't done in more than 50 years: travel to the moon.
The crew is Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch. It's also a team of many lunar firsts: Glover is the first Black person to be sent to the moon, Hansen is the first Canadian and Koch is the first woman. In a press conference on Wednesday, the crew got personal about what the mission has meant to them, their families and the international community.
"Part of our ethos as a crew and our values from the very beginning were that this is a relay race," said Koch. "In fact, we have batons that we bought to symbolize, physically, that. We plan to hand them to the next crew. And every single thing we do is with them in mind."
Artemis II helps set the stage for future missions to the moon, deep space and Mars. We'll be keeping up with all the latest Artemis II news, so check back here for updates. This is everything you need to know about the mission back to the moon.
When does the Artemis II mission return to Earth?
NASA says the Orion and its crew are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean west of San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10, at 5:07 p.m. PT (8:07 p.m. ET, 1:07 a.m. BST, 10 a.m. AEST). This time can change depending on how reentry goes, so check back here for live updates.
How to watch the Artemis II moon mission
Takeoff took place last Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You can watch a replay of the livestream on NASA's YouTube channel, official website and social media accounts. If you're looking for coverage in Spanish, check out NASA's Spanish YouTube channel. NASA's YouTube channel is streaming its official broadcast live throughout the mission.
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