Astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II are on their way back to Earth after completing a historic flyby of the Moon—the first human mission of its kind in more than 50 years.
The crew’s Orion capsule is now approaching the point where Earth’s gravity will once again dominate over the Moon’s pull, marking a key phase in their return journey.
The four-member crew—Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Thursday.
During their return, the astronauts briefly connected via audio link with colleagues aboard the International Space Station.
Reflecting on the journey, Koch said she was struck by Earth’s beauty and the vast darkness of space surrounding it, which made the view even more profound. She previously made history alongside Jessica Meir in 2019 during the first all-female spacewalk.
“I always hoped we’d be in space together again — I just never imagined it would be like this mission,” Koch said during the exchange.
Glover noted that life inside Orion is far more confined compared to the International Space Station, with nearly all activities limited by the capsule’s tight space.
The Artemis II mission launched earlier this week aboard NASA’s Space Launch System from Cape Canaveral, sending the crew farther from Earth than any humans have traveled before.
