NASA mission managers hold a briefing as the crew prepares for tomorrow night's scheduled splashdown. The Artemis II team is finishing a historic 10-day lunar journey, marking the first time humans have seen the Moon up close since 1972.

The Artemis II crew prepared for their return home and NASA inspected the exterior of the Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Friday.

On Wednesday, two days after their moon flyby, the crew of the Artemis II mission settled in for a day of preparation to return to Earth.

NASA officials provide the latest on the Artemis II mission from Johnson Space Center. Following a historic lunar flyby and record distance from Earth, the crew of four is testing radiation shielding and manual piloting for Friday’s splashdown.

Reentry is one of the most intense phases of space missions, and the return of the Artemis astronauts will be a test of their spacecraft’s heat shield.

The four Artemis II astronauts, returning from ⁠the ⁠world's first crewed moon voyage in over half a ⁠century, hurtled back toward Earth on Friday aboard their gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft, headed for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off ​Southern California.

The Artemis II astronauts fielded questions during an in-space news conference Wednesday, April 8, aboard their Orion spacecraft Integrity.

As Artemis II astronauts wake up to their final full day in space, they celebrate with music and selfies while racing home from the Moon. With re-entry just hours away, NASA teams prepare for a dramatic return after a groundbreaking nine-day journey around the Moon and back.