Artemis II crew splashes down after Moon mission; Trump says ‘next step, Mars’
After a record-breaking journey beyond the Moon, Artemis II’s safe return strengthens NASA’s deep space roadmap and puts fresh focus on future Mars ambitions.
After a record-breaking journey beyond the Moon, Artemis II’s safe return strengthens NASA’s deep space roadmap and puts fresh focus on future Mars ambitions.
As NASA’s Artemis II mission prepares for its high-speed re-entry and scheduled splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego, it marks more than the end of a test flight.
Far from Earth, nearly 250,000 miles into space, the Artemis II crew shared a deeply personal moment, proposing to name a Moon crater after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.
A waste system glitch briefly interrupted the otherwise smooth deep-space journey. Full functionality returned after engineers successfully cleared the stubborn blockage.
The US space agency has pushed back its manned Artemis mission to the Moon to 2025 that will send the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface.
The four astronauts will now begin training for the historic Artemis II lunar flyby, which is scheduled to launch in November 2024.
