NASA Artemis II Crew Recovery: Orion Spacecraft Hatch Opening
NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman thanks members of the United States Navy dive medical team that opened the hatch of their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, after splashdown: "Jesse, Steve, Laddy, and Vlad . . . such an incredible feeling to welcome you aboard Integrity after a nearly 700,000 mile journey. Forever thankful for your service to our crew and the nation."
Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Wang, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge, Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala made up the dive medical team assigned to open the Orion crew capsule upon its return to Earth to make initial medical assessments of the Artemis II crew, and to assist them out of the capsule safely and efficiently.
The medical team entered the capsule to conduct initial exams for the crew, provide triage care as necessary, and assist the astronauts in egress onto the inflatable raft set up outside by Navy divers. The first-contact medical providers then prepared the crew to be airlifted by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 back to amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) for follow on evaluations.
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 Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: April 14, 2026
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