LIVE UPDATES: Artemis II crew prepares to return home

Artemis II Launches Manned Test Flight Around The Moon IN SPACE - APRIL 07: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by NASA, The Artemis II crew – (from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman – pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon's gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth's) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (NASA/NASA via Getty Images)
By Heather Taylor

The Artemis II rocket is heading back home to Earth, with a planned splashdown on Friday in the Pacific.

>>LAUNCH PHOTOS

In this historic mission, four astronauts were sent around the far side of the moon and back, marking NASA’s first manned mission toward the moon in more than 55 years. Astronauts last traveled to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.

On Monday, April 6, the spacecraft broke the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human, allowing the crew of Artemis II to be the first humans to see parts of the far side of the moon.

>>PHOTOS: Artemis II crew captures historic photos of the moon

>>WATCH: NASA’s Artemis II Live Mission Coverage

>>LIVE UPDATES:

Heather Taylor

Heather Taylor

Digital Content Manager

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