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Artemis II Astronauts Welcomed Home to Houston After Historic Moonshot

NASA said the 10-day mission sent four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans before, and the crew said they are bonded forever.

  • On Saturday, the four-person Artemis II crew arrived at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, one day after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego following their historic nine-day lunar mission.
  • The astronauts completed a 10-day journey around the moon, marking the first piloted flight beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago.
  • During the flight, the crew set a human spaceflight distance record of 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record while capturing lunar images to aid researchers studying the moon's formation.
  • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed the crew Saturday, telling them "Thank you for showing us the moon again," while Commander Reid Wiseman told the crowd the four astronauts are "bonded forever" after their shared experience.
  • President Trump radioed the astronauts that "your mission paves the way for America's return to the lunar surface very soon," with NASA planning Artemis III for mid-2027 and Artemis IV in 2028 to establish permanent lunar presence.
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NBC Dallas-Fort Worth broke the news in Fort Worth, United States on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
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