Artemis II crew extracted from spacecraft, prepares for medical evaluation

WASHINGTON: All the Artemis II crew have now been extracted after the splashdown, and will then be escorted to the medical bay, NASA stated on Friday (local time). As of now, they are on the USS John P Murtha and will go through post-mission medical evaluations.

In a post on X, NASA stated, “All four of the Artemis II astronauts have been successfully extracted from the Orion spacecraft following splashdown and are now on the USS John P. Murtha. Next up, they will be escorted to the medical bay where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations”.

All four of the Artemis II astronauts have been successfully extracted from the Orion spacecraft following splashdown and are now on the USS John P. Murtha. Next up, they will be escorted to the medical bay where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations. pic.twitter.com/v96RFKEUNN

— NASA (@NASA) April 11, 2026

The International Space Station crew earlier in the day caught a glimpse of the Artemis II crew as they re-entered the atmosphere from their journey to the Moon.

In a post on X, NASA Astronaut Chris Williams said, “Our crew on the International Space Station caught a glimpse of the Artemis II crew as they re-entered the atmosphere from their journey to the Moon! We first saw a bright light and a trail as the service module burned up. We didn’t see the Orion capsule itself as it re-entered, but we saw the wispy trail it left behind in the upper atmosphere. Overjoyed that our friends are safely back on Earth after their awe-inspiring mission!”

Our crew on the @Space_Station caught a glimpse of the @NASAArtemis II crew as they re-entered the atmosphere from their journey to the Moon! We first saw a bright light and a trail as the service module burned up. We didn’t see the Orion capsule itself as it re-entered, but we… pic.twitter.com/4uzu3wBefB

— Chris Williams (@Astro_ChrisW) April 11, 2026

The Artemis II crew has safely returned to Earth after successfully splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, marking a historic milestone in human space exploration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Saturday.

Moments before reentry, NASA shared a glimpse of the crew’s final preparations, posting a celebratory “fist bump” update on X as the astronauts readied the spacecraft for its descent.

Fist bump!

The Artemis II crew is now under 35,000 miles from Earth. The astronauts are preparing the spacecraft for reentry and the weather is looking good for splashdown. pic.twitter.com/jYNlo0xoNu

— NASA (@NASA) April 10, 2026

Sharing the details in a post on X, NASA wrote, “Fist bump! The Artemis II crew is now under 35,000 miles from Earth. The astronauts are preparing the spacecraft for reentry, and the weather is looking good for splashdown.” (ANI)