New video shows moment Artemis II crew was welcomed home
A new video shows the moment four astronauts aboard Artemis II returned home from space on Friday, following a ten-day mission.
The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific, and Navy rescuers moved in. The video shows plenty of handshakes, “Welcome home,” and a few cheers as divers reached the capsule.
They helped the four astronauts out, moved them onto a raft, then hoisted them into a helicopter.
From there, the crew was flown to the USS John Murtha for medical checks.
The mission lasted ten days — an around-the-moon flight without a landing — covering roughly 700-thousand miles and capturing new lunar images.
What comes next for space travel?
Now, NASA shifts to the next step.
Artemis III — set for next year — will keep astronauts in Earth’s orbit as they practice docking the Orion capsule with a commercial lunar lander.
That’s a critical step before any return to the moon.
And after that, Artemis IV, targeting 2028, could put astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
