Artemis II crew 'happy and healthy' after completing historic mission to the Moon

Summary

The Artemis II astronauts have safely returned to Earth after a "textbook touchdown", bringing their historic 10-day mission to a close
The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 00:07 GMT (20:07 EDT), with commander Reid Wiseman confirming his team is healthy - here's what happens next
"This is the start of a new era of human space exploration," Nasa says, after the crew's return
The four astronauts are "happy and healthy", an official for the space agency says at a news conference
The Artemis II crew successfully re-entered the atmosphere after a routine but nerve-wracking six-minute communications blackout
On 6 April, the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth - 406,771km (252,756 miles) - during the lunar flyby, breaking the previous record for the furthest humans have ever travelled into space

Live Reporting

Edited by Jenna Moon with science editor Rebecca Morelle and senior science journalist Alison Francis at Nasa mission control, and science correspondent Pallab Ghosh in London

Artemis crew returning to Earth with 'all the good stuff'published at 22:22 BST 10 April

Media caption,
Watch: BBC asks Artemis II crew a question in space
The Artemis II crew say they have "many more pictures" and "many more stories" to share with the world as they near their return to Earth.
The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft have completed their mission around the Moon and are expected to splash down later.
Speaking from space on their way home, the mission's pilot, Victor Glover, said the crew was eager to share what they have seen.
When asked about their re-entry to Earth two days ago, he said: "We have to get back. There's so much data that you've already seen, but all the good stuff is coming back with us."
He said he would be "thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life.
"There's so many more pictures, so many more stories."
One small step (or giant leap) left to go for Moon missionpublished at 22:14 BST 10 April
Joe Coughlan
Live reporter, on Earth

Image source, NASA
Orion is approaching Earth at the end of its ten-day mission to the far side of the Moon.
According to Nasa's real-time tracker,, external the spacecraft just over 20,000 miles (32,186 km) away and hurtling towards its final splashdown destination: the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States.
The crew on board have travelled further away from Earth than any human has before.
A lunar flyby and a solar eclipse have been ticked off their mission checklist, and the four astronauts are heading home with new images of the planet in clutch.
Close-ups of the Moon and a breathtaking snap of Earth are among the pictures taken by the crew, who have seen things no other human has ever seen.
In just under three hours, the Orion spacecraft - nicknamed Integrity by the crew - will break through the atmosphere and quite literally splash down into the Pacific Ocean.
We'll be bringing you every moment in the build-up, and you'll be able to watch their descent back to Earth above.
Stay with us, it’s going to be out of this world. Well, the first bit will be…