Artemis II Crew Poised to Share Revelations from Lunar Voyage

Fri Apr 10 2026 02:55:42 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

As they return from their historic mission, the Artemis II astronauts express eagerness to unveil captivating stories and data gathered from their lunar journey, emphasizing the importance of their discoveries for future space exploration.

The Artemis II crew, after successfully completing their mission around the Moon, is set to return to Earth with a trove of data and experiences. Astronaut Victor Glover highlights the significance of their discoveries, with insights awaiting the scientific community to further bolster lunar studies and exploration endeavors. As they prepare for reentry, the crew reflects on the emotional moments of the journey, including witnessing a lunar eclipse and naming a lunar crater after a late family member.

The Artemis II crew said they have many more pictures and many more stories to share with the world as they prepare to return to Earth.

The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft have completed their mission around the Moon and are expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego on around 20:00 Friday US EDT (01:00 BST).

Speaking to media from space on their way home, the mission's pilot, Victor Glover, said the crew was eager to share what they had seen with the world.

When asked during Wednesday evening's conference, about re-entry to Earth, Glover 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.

Glover added that the crew still had two more days before they could begin to process what they'd been through. I'm going to be thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life, he said.

The Artemis II mission's spacecraft, Orion, broke the record for human travel at about 13:56 EDT (18:56 BST) on Monday, beating a record of 248,655 miles (400,000km) held since 1970 by the Apollo 13 mission.

The spacecraft was not planning to land on the Moon but fly around its far side, becoming the first humans to witness some parts of its surface and vast craters.

The crew also discussed personal highlights, such as witnessing a lunar eclipse and naming a crater after a deceased spouse, marking emotional moments during their journey.

As they look forward to reentry, they emphasize the importance of their findings and the ongoing journey of lunar exploration that lies ahead.