Closing summary
We’re closing this live blog now, but stay with us for more news coverage of the aftermath of the Artemis II mission.
Here’s what happened tonight:
The four Artemis astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 5.07pm PT after a 10-day journey to fly around the moon.
Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, became the first humans to travel to the moon and return to Earth safely since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972.
The mission tested space hardware and life support systems that will be crucial to Nasa’s plans for the next lunar landing in 2028 and its ambitious future quest to build a moon base by the end of the decade.
Jared Isaacman, Nasa’s administrator, called the astronauts “almost poets”, and “ambassadors for humanity”.
Donald Trump, the US president, posted that he “could not be more proud” of the astronauts, and space agency that he wants to slash the budget of by more than 23%.
Read more:
'Path to lunar surface is open': Nasa deputy chief
Nasa’s associate administrator Amit Kshatriya is telling reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston that the success of the Artemis II mission belongs to thousands of Nasa workers, and partners in the international and private space communities.
“The vehicle spoke for all of them,” he said at a press conference almost three hours after the Orion capsule’s Pacific Ocean splashdown:
You all heard the crew’s words during the mission. They were incredibly inspirational. They carried the torch from Apollo around the far side of the moon. Their words belong to them. We’ll get to hear from them as soon as they’re back here. But tonight belongs to the team that built the machine that they rode.
The path to the lunar surface is open, but the work ahead is greater than the work behind us. It always will be. 53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what was left undone. Let us not go to plant flags and leave, but to stay with firmness in our purpose, with gratitude for the hands who built the machines and with love for the ones that we carry with us.
Sean Quinn, Nasa’s exploration ground systems manager, said he had taken a phone call from Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman as he awaited the start of the briefing:
It was so great to hear his voice and tell us that all the crew is OK, and we could say that we did our mission. We accomplished what we set out to do.
I’m very proud of the efforts of the team that supported both the launch and recovery operations, alongside our navy partners. All the hard work and dedication over the last couple years paid off today, and the team did a great job.
