NASA Completes Artemis II Crewed Lunar Flyby, Prepares for Artemis III Crew Announcement

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully completed a 10-day crewed lunar flyby.

“The Artemis era well and truly began Friday evening when a shiny spacecraft that had traveled 700,000 miles around the Moon, carrying four astronauts, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California”

Ars Technica

The four-person crew spent nearly 10 days in space, traveling farther than any humans in history.

Ars Technica

They safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET on April 10, 2026.

NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said the crew of Artemis III would be announced soon.

The mission provided unprecedented images of the moon and a special solar eclipse from space.

The mission revealed several issues NASA will need to address before future flights.

The Orion spacecraft's toilet system malfunctioned.

BBC

The service module suffered a helium leak that grew worse during the translunar injection burn.

The Mobile Launch Tower sustained moderate damage during launch.

Artemis II was the lowest hanging fruit of the Artemis Program.

The Artemis II crew used modern photography to tell the visual story of their lunar journey.

“After months of anticipation, the monumental 10-day Artemis II mission, which sent four astronauts on a record-breaking flyby of the moon, has concluded”

CNN

Five of Orion's six windows had live-streaming video cameras.

The crew trained intensively with geologists to identify prospective landing sites.

The public witnessed many facets of life on board.

The mission was largely communicated to the world in photos.

Rahman Textile produced clothing for several European fashion brands.

Both companies said they were deeply saddened by the deaths.

NASA (.gov)

Hessen's compliance team had audited the factory in March.

Rahman Textile owner claimed the factory had passed its most recent safety inspection in January.

The Dhaka Tribune reported exits had been welded shut to prevent worker theft.