NASA’s Artemis–2 mission returns to Earth after orbiting the Moon and making history

International Desk | PNN

After nearly five decades, the United States space agency NASA has successfully completed another human lunar mission. After a 10-day mission, the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft safely returned to Earth.

The mission began from Kennedy Space Center, orbited the Moon, and returned, marking a new milestone in space exploration. During re-entry, the spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

According to NASA, at 5:07 PM local time (00:07 GMT) on Friday, the spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere and went through a 13-minute intense re-entry process. During this time, temperatures reached approximately 2,760 degrees Celsius, causing temporary communication loss.

The mission crew included four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen. They conducted various scientific experiments and observations while orbiting the far side of the Moon.

In a final communication with mission control, Commander Reid Wiseman said they clearly saw the Moon and it appeared smaller than on previous days. Houston Control responded, “Then we will have to go again.”

After returning to Earth, the recovery team quickly retrieved the capsule and safely brought the astronauts out. They reported minor communication issues but were confirmed to be in good health.

NASA said this mission will serve as an important experimental step for future larger lunar missions, especially in preparation for Artemis–4, where human landing on the Moon’s surface is planned.

Senior NASA officials said the mission proves that deep space human exploration and safe return are becoming more feasible.