Artemis II capsule returns to Kennedy Space Center after April 10 splashdown

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis II Orion capsule returned to Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, nearly a month after the spacecraft launched on humanity’s first crewed lunar trip in more than a half-century.

The spacecraft that carried four astronauts around the moon during Artemis II returned to Earth in the Pacific on April 10, NASA said, and was then trucked from San Diego to Cape Canaveral, where it arrived back near its launch-site operations. Following that return, engineers planned to examine the capsule’s heat shield in more detail as well as other systems.

NASA said the post-flight work will support preparations for next year’s Artemis III docking demonstration in orbit around Earth. The agency also said the capsule’s electronic boxes will be removed and recycled, along with research equipment used during the mission.

The Orion capsule was dubbed Integrity by its U.S.-Canadian crew, and NASA said the capsule appeared to perform well during the nearly 10-day voyage aside from a finicky toilet. With the spacecraft back in Florida, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were able to resume downtime after medical exams and other tests that followed their mission.

Wiseman posted on X late last week, sharing a video of himself relaxing on the beach. He wrote: “Been waiting for this moment,” and added, “There is a lot in my head that I must process and very little has to do with leaving the planet. Today is my first step. I have never in my life felt peace like this.”

NASA said Artemis II represented a milestone not achieved since Apollo 17 in 1972, when astronauts last flew to the moon before the long gap that ended with Artemis II’s trip. Artemis III is set to feature a fresh capsule and a new crew, remaining in orbit around Earth for docking exercises with lunar landers still in development by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

That staging is designed to set the stage for a moon landing by two new astronauts as early as 2028, NASA said.