Artemis II has made history. On April 1, 2026, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (CSA) launched from Kennedy Space Center on a 10-day journey around the Moon — the first humans to travel to deep space in over 50 years. On April 10, they splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Here is their story, told through the official NASA images. ✨ Click any image to see it full size.

🚀 Part 1: Liftoff! (April 1, 2026)

Kennedy Space Center, Florida — 6:35 p.m. EDT
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — the most powerful rocket ever built — roared to life. The 5.75-million-pound rocket punched through clear blue skies, carrying the Orion capsule Integrity and four astronauts toward the Moon.[citation:8]

📸 Official NASA Image: The SLS rocket launching from Pad 39B. 🔍 Click to enlarge

🌍 Part 2: First Images from Space (Days 2-3)

After completing the translunar injection burn, Commander Reid Wiseman looked out Orion’s window and captured the first downlinked image of the mission — Earth, with two auroras visible and zodiacal light glowing near the horizon.[citation:2][citation:9]

📸 Official NASA Image: Earth showing two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light. Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman[citation:2] 🔍 Click to enlarge

🌕 Part 3: The Lunar Flyby & Earthset (Day 6 — April 6, 2026)

This was the moment the world was waiting for. On April 6, Orion flew just 4,000 miles above the lunar surface. The crew witnessed and photographed views no human had ever seen — including a near-total eclipse of the Sun by the Moon and the breathtaking “Earthset” as our planet disappeared behind the lunar horizon.[citation:3][citation:4]

📸 Official NASA Image: “Earthset” — a crescent Earth setting behind the cratered lunar surface, captured April 6, 2026 at 6:41 p.m. EDT.[citation:10] 🔍 Click to enlarge

📸 Official NASA Image: Vavilov Crater on the rim of the Hertzsprung basin, taken during the lunar flyby.[citation:3][citation:10] 🔍 Click to enlarge

📸 Official NASA Image: The Moon eclipsing the Sun as seen from Orion — totality lasted nearly 54 minutes.[citation:3][citation:4] 🔍 Click to enlarge

📸 Official NASA Image: The Artemis II crew — Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen — during their lunar observation period.[citation:5][citation:6] 🔍 Click to enlarge

🛰️ Part 4: The Journey Home (Days 7-9)

After the successful flyby, Orion fired its engines to begin the return trip to Earth. The crew spent the next few days conducting experiments and preparing for the most dangerous part of the mission: re-entry at 25,000 mph.

📸 Official NASA Image: Orientale basin, a 600-mile-wide crater with ancient lava flows, straddling the Moon’s near and far sides.[citation:10] 🔍 Click to enlarge

💧 Part 5: Splashdown! (April 10, 2026)

Pacific Ocean — 5:07 p.m. PDT
After traveling 33 times the speed of sound (Mach 33), Orion’s heat shield endured temperatures of nearly 3,000°F. The parachutes deployed perfectly, slowing the capsule to 17 mph for a bullseye splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California.[citation:6]

📸 Official NASA Image: The Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls[citation:6] 🔍 Click to enlarge

🤝 Part 6: Welcome Home — The Aftermath (April 10-11, 2026)

Within an hour of splashdown, the USS John P. Murtha arrived. Navy divers secured the capsule, and the astronauts were lifted via helicopter to the deck of the ship. They emerged smiling, taking their first breaths of fresh Earth air in ten days.[citation:6] On April 11, the crew returned to Houston, where they were greeted by friends, family, and colleagues at Ellington Airport.[citation:7]

📸 USS John P. Murtha recovery team with the Orion capsule. Credit: U.S. Navy[citation:7]

📸 Commander Wiseman embracing a flight surgeon after exiting the capsule[citation:6]

📸 The four Artemis II crew members waving on the ship’s deck[citation:6]

All images credited to NASA. This blog documents the completed Artemis II mission (April 1-10, 2026).