Artemis II Mission Concludes With Splashdown In Pacific Ocean

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The Artemis II mission concluded Friday with a historic splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California, capping a milestone journey for humankind, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

The Orion crew module entered the Pacific waters at 8.07 ET (0007 GMT) after a high-speed descent through the Earth's atmosphere, pushing through temperatures that exceeded 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 degrees Celsius).

All four crew members -- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen -- arrived safely after the vessel gradually slowed from speeds of about 33 times the speed of sound, hitting the Pacific at 19 mph (30 km/h).

The crew travelled farther from Earth than any humans in history after completing a lunar flyby and slingshotting around the moon to launch the return trip to Earth.

The Orion spacecraft reached a maximum distance of about 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth, surpassing the record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

During the mission, the four astronauts observed the moon’s far side and witnessed a solar eclipse visible only from space. The spacecraft also made its closest approach to the moon at about 4,067 miles above the surface before beginning its return trajectory, according to NASA.

“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!" US President Donald Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!" he added.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU