Nasa confirms ‘textbook splashdown’ at 5.07pm PT; all four crew members have emerged from capsule and are reportedly doing well
All four astronauts in their bright orange flight suits have emerged from the Orion capsule and are now on the inflatable platform alongside.
Commander Reid Wiseman was the last to appear. He reported to mission control that he and his three colleagues were all feeling fine as they breathed in their first fresh air since their 1 April launch.
We’re closing this live blog now, but stay with us for more news coverage of the aftermath of the Artemis II mission.
Here’s what happened tonight:
The four Artemis astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 5.07pm PT after a 10-day journey to fly around the moon.
Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, became the first humans to travel to the moon and return to Earth safely since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972.
The mission tested space hardware and life support systems that will be crucial to Nasa’s plans for the next lunar landing in 2028 and its ambitious future quest to build a moon base by the end of the decade.
Jared Isaacman, Nasa’s administrator, called the astronauts “almost poets”, and “ambassadors for humanity”.
Donald Trump, the US president, posted that he “could not be more proud” of the astronauts, and space agency that he wants to slash the budget of by more than 23%.
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Nasa’s associate administrator Amit Kshatriya is telling reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston that the success of the Artemis II mission belongs to thousands of Nasa workers, and partners in the international and private space communities.
“The vehicle spoke for all of them,” he said at a press conference almost three hours after the Orion capsule’s Pacific Ocean splashdown:
You all heard the crew’s words during the mission. They were incredibly inspirational. They carried the torch from Apollo around the far side of the moon. Their words belong to them. We’ll get to hear from them as soon as they’re back here. But tonight belongs to the team that built the machine that they rode.
The path to the lunar surface is open, but the work ahead is greater than the work behind us. It always will be. 53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what was left undone. Let us not go to plant flags and leave, but to stay with firmness in our purpose, with gratitude for the hands who built the machines and with love for the ones that we carry with us.
Sean Quinn, Nasa’s exploration ground systems manager, said he had taken a phone call from Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman as he awaited the start of the briefing:
It was so great to hear his voice and tell us that all the crew is OK, and we could say that we did our mission. We accomplished what we set out to do.
I’m very proud of the efforts of the team that supported both the launch and recovery operations, alongside our navy partners. All the hard work and dedication over the last couple years paid off today, and the team did a great job.
Nasa TV has concluded its coverage of the Artemis II splashdown, and we’ll also be doing so shortly after an upcoming press conference from Nasa about the night’s developments.
We’ll bring you anything momentous the space agency’s top brass has to say, but to be honest it’s going to be hard for Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman to top his earlier eloquent description of the astronauts as “poets”, and “ambassadors for humanity”.
Victor Glover, the Artemis II pilot, has been laughing and joking with sailors on board the USS John P Murtha after his space flight to the moon.
Jared Isaacman, the Nasa administrator, greeted Glover and his fellow crew member Christina Koch, on their arrival, which was recognized by a ringing of the ship’s bell.
Isaacman hugged them both, as he did Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen as they came on board.
All four astronauts look in good health and were able to make the short walk from the flight deck to the medical bay of the navy vessel.
A navy helicopter is now winching aboard the four Artemis II astronauts on their way to medical check ups on board the USS John P Murtha.
We haven’t yet had a close-up look at the crew members, but Nasa is assuring us that all is well, and that all four are in good health and spirits.
We won’t hear from them tonight, but we are expecting a press conference shortly from Nasa’s leadership, at which we can expect a victory lap and words of gratitude for the tens of thousands of workers from the space agency, commercial partners, and the international community that made a successful flight possible.
Here’s how a crowd in San Diego celebrated the safe splashdown of Nasa’s Artemis II crew in their backyard (backocean?).
All four astronauts in their bright orange flight suits have emerged from the Orion capsule and are now on the inflatable platform alongside.
Commander Reid Wiseman was the last to appear. He reported to mission control that he and his three colleagues were all feeling fine as they breathed in their first fresh air since their 1 April launch.
At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, hundreds of flight controllers have poured into mission control to celebrate the safe return of the four Artemis II astronauts.
Nasa TV commentator Derrol Nail says he has not seen scenes like this since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.
“Quite a few flight controllers were invited in to share in the jubilation following the successful splashdown,” he said.
“The mission is over but the melody lingers on.”
The perfect trajectory of Orion’s approach and landing is unlike anything he has seen before, Nail said.
Recovery crews have now inflated a “front porch” to the Orion capsule, a floating platform just beyond the main hatch from which the four astronauts will shortly emerge ahead of a short helicopter ride to the navy’s recovery ship USS John P Murtha.
It’s now almost 90 minutes after the Artemis II splashdown, and medical personnel are inside the capsule assessing how the crew is doing.
Nasa TV reports all four are doing well.
One of the front porch personnel just flashed a thumbs-up sign, indicating that the Artemis crew is about to emerge and be winched to the waiting helicopter.
Donald Trump, the US president, has also posted his congratulations to Nasa, and the crew of Artemis II.
In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote:
Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!
I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars! President DONALD J. TRUMP
It should be noted that, even while the Artemis astronauts were ascending to the moon, Trump was attempting to slash Nasa’s budget by 23%.
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