Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth, Historic Lunar Orbit Mission Concludes Successfully [Video]

Agence France-Presse reported that mission commander Reid Wiseman reported that the crew—he himself, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—were in "stable" condition and "all normal."

NASA Public Affairs Officer Rob Navias explained the astronauts' return process during a NASA live broadcast. He said, "This means they are in very good condition."

During their high-risk re-entry into the atmosphere, there was a brief, tense communication blackout, but then mission commander Wiseman's voice reappeared, bringing a sigh of relief and confirming that the astronauts were safely on their way home.

After a voice check from mission control, he said, "Houston. We read you loud and clear."

NASA and the U.S. military will now assist the astronauts in exiting the bobbing capsule, after which they will fly to a recovery ship off the Pacific coast near San Diego.

As the astronauts returned to Earth, the spacecraft reached speeds of over 30 times the speed of sound and endured scorching temperatures nearly half that of the sun's surface. This was a critical test for its heat shield, which had experienced issues in previous test missions.

However, the Artemis II re-entry proceeded smoothly without any hitches.

Navias said, "This was a textbook entry, and a textbook landing." (Compiled by Chang Hsiao-wen) 1150411