Artemis II crew return from moon mission in ‘perfect splashdown’

Artemis II astronauts have landed safely back on Earth after making their awaited splashdown into the Pacific Ocean.

The four-strong NASA crew completed the 10-day trip around the moon, travelling furthest from the Earth than anyone ever has.

Then it was time for their hair-raising return journey inside the minivan-sized Orion capsule.

Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen hurtled down in the capsule surrounded by its parachutes as it splashed into the water off the coast of California overnight.

They were met by US military choppers and soldiers who lifted them from an inflatable raft next to Orion.

The four were taken on board the warship USS John P Martha nearby before their mandatory medical checks after the gruelling two-week mission.

NASA’s control room erupted into cheers when the crew touched down safely.

The space agency described the landing as a ‘textbook touchdown.’

Their families were watching the nerve-racking approach to the ocean as the spacecraft slowed down from 300mph to just 20mph thanks to 11 parachutes.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said: ‘These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew.’

The most dangerous part of the landing happened when the shuttle smashed into the atmosphere.

The Orion spacecraft sustained speeds of up to over 23,000 miles per hour when it hit Earth’s atmosphere.

The air beneath it gets so hot that it turns into fiery plasma, making radio communication through it difficult.

You can read more about the riskiest minutes of the mission here.

Artemis II wasn’t designed to land on the moon. Instead, the crews made scientific observations from the far side of the moon, including a total solar eclipse.

While the mission went smoothly overall, there were some technical glitches on board, including most famously with the Orion’s cosmic toilets.

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