Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Big smiles from Christina and Victor on the deck of the USS John P. Murtha | Watch

NASA said in a post on X, "Big smiles from Christina and Victor on the deck of the USS John P. Murtha, as they waited to be escorted for their routine post-mission medical checks."

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: All four of the Artemis II astronauts have been successfully extracted from the Orion spacecraft, says NASA

Artemis II splashdown LIVE:Historic mission

From liftoff to splashdown, the trip clocked in at nine days, one hour, 31 minutes and 35 seconds -- though NASA rounds up and calls it a 10-day mission.

It began with a dramatic launch from Florida on April 1, and was studded with firsts, records and extraordinary moments.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Astronauts in 'great condition'

Mission commander Reid Wiseman reported that the crewmembers -- himself along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen -- were "stable" and "green."

"They're in great condition, that's what that means," said Rob Navias, the NASA public affairs official who narrated their return on the agency's livestream.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Space Station catches glimpse of Artemis II crew while re-entering the atmosphere

Chris Williams said in a post on X, "Our crew on the @Space_Station caught a glimpse of the @NASAArtemis II crew as they re-entered the atmosphere from their journey to the Moon! We first saw a bright light and a trail as the service module burned up. We didn't see the Orion capsule itself as it re-entered, but we saw the wispy trail it left behind in the upper atmosphere. Overjoyed that our friends are safely back on Earth after their awe-inspiring mission!"

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: What's special about the Artemis II mission?

Artemis II also marks the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon in more than 50 years, carrying astronauts farther into space than any humans have travelled before, reinforcing a new era of lunar exploration.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II astronauts emerge one-by-one from their moon capsule after returning to Earth with an ocean splashdown

Artemis II astronauts emerge one-by-one from their moon capsule after returning to Earth with an ocean splashdown. (AP)

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II astronauts safely back on Earth after trip around moon

The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew streaked through Earth's atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after nearly 10 days in space, capping the first voyage by humans to the moon in over half a century.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Trump congratulates returned astronauts, says 'next step, Mars!'

Trump said in a post on Truth Social, "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!"

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Orion's main parachute has deployed, says NASA | Watch

NASA said in a post on X, "Orion's main parachute has deployed. The spacecraft has a system of 11 chutes that will slow it down from around 300 mph to 20 mph for splashdown."

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II toilet malfunction

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule's drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, the toilet kept malfunctioning, but the astronauts shrugged it all off.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Historic journey

The approximately 10-day mission that began with a dramatic launch from Florida on April 1 was studded with firsts, records and extraordinary moments.

It was considered a key stepping stone towards eventual crewed lunar landings.

It was the first crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: 'A perfect mission': Artemis II astronauts return to Earth

The NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts splashed down as planned Friday off the California coast, capping the US space agency's successful crewed test mission around the Moon, the first such flyby in more than 50 years.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II's record flyby and views of moon

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA's long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn't land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13's distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres).

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II astronauts return from moon with splashdown to close out record-breaking lunar voyage

Artemis II's astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity's first lunar voyage in more than a half-century.

It was a triumphant homecoming for the crew of four whose record-breaking lunar flyby revealed not only swaths of the moon's far side - never seen before by human eyes - but a total solar eclipse.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II's record flyby and views of the moon

Artemis II didn't land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13's distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission's most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: NASA's Artemis II Crew Comes Home | Watch

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: NASA Artemis astronauts splash down into Pacific Ocean

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: NASA Artemis astronauts splash down into Pacific Ocean

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: NASA astronauts descend into Earth's atmosphere in critical heat shield test

The NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Friday after completing a historic mission around the Moon. This marked a crucial test of the capsule's heat shield, designed to withstand extreme temperatures during descent.

Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Reid Wiseman are now in the final stage of their roughly 10-day mission, which featured a lunar slingshot maneuver.

During re-entry, they are expected to experience a six-minute communication blackout.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: NASA astronauts descend into Earth's atmosphere in critical heat shield test

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Test of heat shields

The four Artemis astronauts spent much of the final 24 hours of the mission stowing equipment and configuring the crew cabin for the re-entry and splashdown to come.

The return to Earth will put the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft through a critical test of its heat shield, which sustained an unexpected level of scorching and stress on re-entry during the 2022 test flight. As a result, NASA engineers altered the descent trajectory for Artemis II in order to reduce heat buildup and lower the risk of the capsule burning up.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Distance record

The Artemis II journey was the first crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base.

It also broke a record: the four astronauts become the humans to travel furthest away from the Earth, at 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers).

The team broke the record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, which they surpassed by more than 4,000 miles (more than 6,400 kilometers).

Reflecting on the achievement, astronaut Hansen said the moment should "challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived."(AFP)

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Unprecedented diversity

The first woman (Koch), the first person of color (Glover) and the first non-American (Hansen) were members of the crew on the historic voyage around the Moon.

Until now, only white American men had been selected for these missions, which occurred during NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and 70s.

More than half-a-century later, the astronaut corps is far more diverse -- but the question of representation remains thorny, especially as the Trump administration has dismantled diversity and inclusion policies for federal agencies.

Since the Republican's return to power and subsequent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion terminology, NASA has scrubbed from its website a public commitment to send the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface in future missions. (AFP)

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Orion capsule returning four astronauts shed it's propulsion system ahead of re-entry

Orion capsule returning four Artemis astronauts from the Moon sheds its propulsion system as planned ahead of re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, Reuters reported.

"We can't explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient," Koch said, "unless we're making a few sacrifices, unless we're taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it."

Added Hansen: "You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it's a doozy."

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Stepping stone to Mars

They became the first astronauts to fly in the vicinity of the moon since the Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Glover, Koch and Hansen also made history as the first Black astronaut, the first woman and first non-U.S. citizen, respectively, to take part in a lunar mission.

The voyage, following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight around the moon by the Orion spacecraft in 2022, marked a critical dress rehearsal for a planned attempt later this decade to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in late 1972.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II crew set for splashdown after historic lunar flyby

The Artemis II crew is set to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean following a historic lunar flyby as it nears Earth with favourable weather conditions for reentry, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Saturday.

Sharing the details in a post on X, NASA said, "After a journey of more than 690,000 miles, the crew is nearly home.

The Artemis II crew will splash down off the coast of San Diego later today and, though it won't be visible from land, you can still wave in their general direction to welcome them back to Earth!"

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II return to guide future Moon and Mars missions

NASA said the successful return of Artemis II is expected to yield critical data that will inform the next phase of its deep-space ambitions. Insights gathered during the mission - including crew performance, spacecraft systems and re-entry conditions - will be used to refine future flights aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon under the Artemis programme.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Orion prepares for ocean landing

As Orion decelerates to safe levels, a series of large parachutes will open high above the Pacific Ocean, sharply reducing its speed and steering the spacecraft towards a controlled descent. Shortly after it touches down, five built-in inflatable airbags will activate automatically, stabilising the capsule and keeping it upright in the water.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: All you need to know about the recovery operation

Recovery operations will be carried out by the USS John P. Murtha, stationed off the coast of San Diego to retrieve both the crew and the spacecraft. NASA said Orion is expected to travel at speeds approaching 24,000 miles per hour, producing extreme heat as it encounters atmospheric friction.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: When is the splashdown ?

Splashdown is expected at around 8:07 p.m. Eastern Time in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 60 miles off the coast of San Diego, as the mission enters its final phase. This timing translates to about 5:37 a.m. IST the following day for viewers in India.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Indians, Americans and others can watch livestreaming on Netflix, YouTube, 7 other ways

Artemis II's astronauts aim for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity's first voyage to the moon in more than half a century. Here's where to watch Artemis II's return to Earth .

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Artemis II astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth

Artemis II astronauts have traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, flown around the Moon, and observed the lunar surface like never before. Now, they're coming home. Watch the crew splash down on Friday, April 10, around 8:07pm ET (0007 UTC April 11)

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: What will happen during the splashdown

Ahead of the splashdown, the Artemis II crew module will separate from the service module, whose engines have steered them around the Moon and back to Earth.

"This will expose the crew module's heat shield, which will protect the spacecraft and crew as they make their way back through Earth's atmosphere and temperatures of up about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit," NASA explained.

Once safely through the heat of reentry, the cover that protected the spacecraft's forward bay will be jettisoned to make way for a series of parachutes to deploy - two drogue parachutes that will slow the capsule down to about 307 miles per hour, followed by three pilot parachutes that will pull out the final three main parachutes.

These will slow Orion down to approximately 17 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where NASA and U.S. Navy personnel will be waiting for them, concluding the Artemis II mission.

Artemis II splashdown LIVE: 4 astronauts are headed back to Earth

Four astronauts are headed back to Earth. They crossed halfway mark early Friday (April 10).