Artemis II Astronauts Return to Houston & Reunite with Families | NASA Johnson

Artemis II Astronauts Return to Houston & Reunite with Families | NASA Johnson

The crew of Artemis II, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are welcomed home at a ceremony held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after their historic 10-day mission around the Moon and back.

NASA’s Artemis II mission specialist, Christina Koch, shared brief remarks with friends, family, and colleagues after they landed at Ellington Airport near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, shared brief remarks with friends, family, and colleagues after they landed at Ellington Airport near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

NASA’s Artemis II crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, shared brief remarks with friends, family, and colleagues

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman returns home to Houston, stepping off a plane at Ellington Airport near NASA's Johnson Space Center, on Saturday, April 11, 2026

Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover (top) and Mission Specialist Christina Koch (center) return home to Houston, stepping off a plane at Ellington Airport near NASA's Johnson Space Center, on Saturday, April 11, 2026

Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover returns home to Houston, stepping off a plane at Ellington Airport near NASA's Johnson Space Center, on Saturday, April 11, 2026, following his 10-day mission around the Moon.

Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen returns home to Houston, stepping off a plane at Ellington Airport near NASA's Johnson Space Center, on Saturday, April 11, 2026

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down at 8:07 p.m. April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce. The crew now will begin their postflight reconditioning, medical and human performance evaluations, and lunar science debriefs.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Image Credits: NASA/Robert Markowitz/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas
Date: April 11, 2026

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