Artemis II crew splashes down safely after first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years

Four NASA astronauts splashed down safely off the California coast late Friday, completing the first crewed journey to the vicinity of the Moon since the Apollo era and marking a significant step forward in the United States' push to return humans to deep space, according to France24.

The successful recovery of the Artemis II crew caps a mission that NASA described as record-breaking, with the astronauts conducting a lunar flyby that no crewed spacecraft had attempted in more than five decades.

A landmark moment for human spaceflight

The splashdown represents the culmination of the Artemis II mission, which served as a critical test of NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System under conditions that only a crewed deep-space flight can provide. While Artemis II did not land astronauts on the lunar surface, the flyby mission was designed to verify life support systems, crew interfaces, and vehicle performance ahead of future lunar landing attempts.

The last time a crewed spacecraft traveled to the Moon and back was during the Apollo program, which concluded its final lunar mission in December 1972 with Apollo 17.

Artemis program context

Artemis II is part of NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon and eventually serve as a stepping stone for crewed missions to Mars. The program has faced years of technical delays and cost overruns, making the successful completion of this mission a significant boost for the agency and its international partners.

The crew's safe return is also expected to build public and political support for continued investment in the program, which relies on collaboration with commercial partners including Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as international space agencies.

What comes next

NASA has indicated that the data and experience gathered during Artemis II will directly inform preparations for Artemis III, which is intended to land astronauts on the lunar surface - the first time humans would walk on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission more than 50 years ago.

Recovery teams were deployed off the California coast ahead of the splashdown, and all four crew members were reported to be in good condition following their return to Earth.