American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Diego after a 10-day flight.
During the mission, the crew reached a maximum distance of over 252,000 miles (approximately 406,000 km) from Earth. Their total flight distance was nearly 694,000 miles, breaking the record set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
The flight was launched on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The crew orbited the Moon in the "Orion" spacecraft before returning to Earth.
During the mission, the astronauts:
— tested the spacecraft's life support systems;
— performed manual control maneuvers;
— participated in scientific research studying the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation;
— captured over 7,000 images of the lunar surface.
Additionally, while orbiting the Moon, the crew filmed unique sights such as solar eclipses, craters, and the "earthrise."
Following the mission, the astronauts were evacuated by a US Navy vessel and underwent preliminary medical examinations. They are scheduled to return to the Johnson Space Center later.
The "Artemis II" mission is a crucial stage in the program to return humans to the Moon. Attention is now turning to the next phase — "Artemis III," which aims to land humans on the lunar surface and establish a permanent base.
