After nearly 10 days in space, the Artemis II capsule carrying a four-astronaut crew tore back through Earth's atmosphere and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, bringing to a close humanity's first journey to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years. NASA's gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, named Integrity, drifted under parachutes into waters off the Southern California coast shortly after 5pm PT (1am Irish time), ending a mission that carried its crew farther into space than any humans had travelled before. The…

The Artemis II crew has already etched its place in spaceflight history with a lunar flyby, extraordinary views of the Moon and a trove of mission data. But for NASA, the moment that matters most in the ten-day voyage still lies ahead: bringing the astronauts safely home. Earlier this week, Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Jeremy Hansen, travelled farther from Earth than any humans before them. The mission is widely seen as a pivotal step toward future crewed landings on the Moon…

After nearly 10 days in space, the Artemis II capsule carrying four astronauts tore back through Earth's atmosphere and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, closing out humanity's first journey into the moon's neighborhood in more than 50 years. NASA's gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, named Integrity, drifted under parachutes into the ocean off Southern California shortly after 5pm PT (1am Irish time), bringing to an end a mission that carried its crew farther into space than any people had traveled before. Covering…

Shielded from the freezing void outside their spacecraft, the Artemis II astronauts still face one of deep space travel’s most persistent threats: radiation. NASA is now waiting closely for data that could reveal how much exposure the crew endured and what it means for future missions. The four astronauts traveled farther into space than any humans before them, venturing more than 1,000 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. In low Earth orbit, the planet’s magnetosphere helps blunt some of the…

With Earth drawing closer and a fiery homecoming ahead, the four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission reflected on a voyage unlike any before it, describing the strain, wonder and emotion of preparing to plunge back through the atmosphere during their first press conference from space. The Artemis II crew have been travelling in their Orion capsule since lifting off from Florida last week, and are scheduled to splash down off the southern California coast tomorrow after reaching the Moon earlier this week. Their route…

After sweeping farther from Earth than any human in history, the four astronauts on NASA's first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years have re-established contact and begun the journey home. Mission control in Houston restored communications with the crew after a roughly 40-minute blackout as their spacecraft moved behind the Moon, cutting off signal during the pass behind Earth's natural satellite. "It is so great to hear from Earth again," Mission Specialist Christina Koch said as the astronauts were able to speak once…

Humanity’s next chapter in deep space is edging into view as the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission cross into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, riding a trajectory that will soon carry them above the shadowed lunar far side and place them farther from Earth than any people have ever travelled. The Artemis II crew, aboard their Orion capsule since lifting off from Florida last week, are expected to wake at about 10.50am ET (3.05pm Irish time) for the mission’s sixth day in flight. At 7:05pm ET (12.05am…

The Moon was looming larger outside NASA’s Orion capsule on Saturday as the crew of Artemis II entered the third day of a mission billed as a crucial step toward putting humans back on the lunar surface later this decade. NASA said the four-member Artemis crew has now crossed the halfway mark between Earth and the Moon as Orion presses on toward its scheduled lunar flyby. "We're halfway there," the space agency posted on social media. NASA also published the first images captured from inside Orion, among them a striking…

A new chapter in humanity’s return to deep space began in Florida, where four astronauts launched on NASA’s Artemis II mission for a high-stakes, nearly ten-day journey around the Moon. The flight represents the United ⁠States’ clearest move yet toward putting humans back on the lunar surface this decade, with NASA aiming to get there before China mounts its first crewed landing. Just before sunset local time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket thundered off the pad with the Orion…

With a green light from mission controllers, NASA’s four Artemis astronauts are now cleared to leave Earth orbit and begin a long-awaited return to the Moon, setting up the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century. NASA Flight Director Jeff Radigan informed the crew that the mission management team had approved the engine burn aboard their Orion capsule, a critical step that will place the spacecraft on course for the Moon. The five minute and 49 second burn is set for 7:49pm Eastern Time (00:49am), a maneuver…