NASA’s Artemis II astronauts send first messages after moon mission

NASA administrators confirmed that the Artemis II flight crew is ‘happy and healthy.’ They added that the astronauts are ready to come home to Houston.

Glaze praised the crew for their ‘teamwork’ and ‘camaraderie.’

When asked when the crew for Artemis III would be revealed, Kshatriya declined to give specifics but suggested the announcement would be ‘soon.’

Rick Henfling, the entry flight director for NASA’s Artemis II, beamed as he delivered his remarks, calling the mission ‘spectacular.’

Howard Hu, a program manager at NASA, added that Artemis II was the ‘start of a new era’ of space exploration.

‘We accomplished what we set out to do,’ Shawn Quinn, manager of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, said, adding, ‘It’s good to be NASA, and it’s good to be an American today.’

NASA leaders are addressing the press after the successful splashdown of Artemis II.

Amit Kshatriya, the associate administrator of NASA, said tonight’s success was not luck, but the result of 100 people doing their jobs.

‘The path to the lunar surface is open, but the work ahead is greater than the work behind us,’ Kshatriya said.

‘Let us not go to plant flags, but to stay.’

Dr Lori Glaze, NASA’s deputy administrator, said her team was ‘thrilled’ to have the four astronauts home safely.

She added that this mission was the first of many to come.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen were able to walk under their own power and were seen in good spirits following their ten-day moon mission.

The astronauts hugged NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman before heading to the medical bay on board the USS John P Murtha.

Previous space flights, including the ten-month saga of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, required medical personnel to carry the astronauts because they were unable to walk well from being in space for so long.

The four astronauts of Artemis II have all been successfully airlifted by helicopter to the USS John P Murtha.

The naval vessel will transport the crew back to the California coast before they head to NASA’s space center in Houston.

Once on board, the astronauts could be seen giving thumbs up and saluting the recovery teams on the flight deck.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch waved to cameras as she sat with crewmate Victor Glover.

President Donald Trump congratulated astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen shortly after their return to Earth.

‘Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II,’ he wrote on Truth Social.

‘The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!

‘I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!’

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen have made their first appearance on Earth after exiting the Orion spacecraft Friday night.

The crew emerged safe and in good health following their ten-day mission to the moon and a medical evaluation by NASA flight surgeons who boarded the module moments earlier.

The astronauts could be seen embracing the recovery teams while they awaited to be airlifted by Navy helicopters flying overhead.

Crews at the splashdown site gave thumbs up and reported that the astronauts were in perfect with no ill effects of the space flight and landing.

Navy rescue teams have inflated the stabilizing ring and are preparing to bring out the Artemis II crew.

The four astronauts of Artemis II have successfully powered down their Orion space capsule and NASA’s mission control has officially handed operations over to the recovery team in the Pacific Ocean.

The crew will soon deploy their bridge, known as the ‘front porch,’ so they can exit the craft and head to the US Navy vessel John P Murtha waiting to take them back to NASA.

NASA flight surgeons have boarded the Orion space capsule to give the crew a medical check before they leave the module.

Navy rescue crews are also working to stabilize the craft so it does not capsize while the astronauts are leaving the vehicle.

Crews will inflate a giant ring around Orion which keeps the capsule steady in the ocean. The process takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman spoke after the successful splashdown of Artemis II, calling the moon mission ‘perfect’ and declaring NASA’s intention to begin the work on a successful moon landing by 2028.

Isaacman said: ‘We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This is just the beginning.’

The NASA chief then added that the plan is now to begin work on a US moon base in the next two years. Artemis III is scheduled to launch on another trip around the moon next year.

A communications glitch is keeping US Navy recovery teams from speaking with the returning astronauts.

NASA and the Navy have confirmed that the astronauts are in good health. The problem is a technical problem preventing teams from speaking with the Artemis crew as they await rescue.

The Orion crew module is continuing to power down before astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are pulled from the craft.

Artemis II has made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean following their ten-day mission around the moon.

The crew module safely passed through the atmosphere Friday night and landed off the coast of California at 8.07pm ET.

The Navy reported that the four astronauts are safe and in good health after touching down.