TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The successful splashdown of the Artemis II mission has ushered in a new era of lunar exploration, marking the first time in over half a century that humanity has journeyed to the moon and back.
NASA officials celebrated the success of the Artemis II mission on Friday, April 11, hailing the success of the astronauts but also the many engineers behind the mission.
Addressing reporters after the splashdown, NASA entry flight director Rick Henfling said the crew was "happy and healthy."
"We saw the crew a number of times after they got out of the spacecraft," he said, as reported by DW, adding that "everyone was happy and healthy and ready to come back to Houston."
The mission's success was met with emotional tributes to the Apollo era. "53 years ago, humanity left the moon, this time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started," said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator.
Lori Glaze, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said this was only the beginning.
"We did it! We sent four amazing people to the moon and safely returned them to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years," Glaze said. "To the generation that now knows what we're capable of, welcome to our moonshot."
Glaze further said many more moon missions would follow. "We are so thrilled to have Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy back here on Earth and, safely aboard the USS John P. Murtha" she said.
"Our team is fired up, and this mission, that we are talking about, is just the beginning," Glaze added.
NASA Begins Recovery of Artemis II Crew
After their "textbook touchdown" into the Pacific on Saturday, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission is set to undergo recovery procedures.
Commander Reid Wiseman, along with Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, remained inside the capsule as recovery teams moved in.
The US Navy USS John P. Murtha was positioned off the San Diego coast, supported by military aircraft and helicopters, to assist in the operation.
NASA and US military personnel are expected to take about an hour to secure the floating capsule and help the astronauts exit.
The crew will then be airlifted to the ship, where they will undergo initial medical evaluations.
Following these checks, the astronauts are scheduled to travel to Houston, where they are expected to reunite with their families at mission control later this weekend.
DW
Read: Artemis II Crew Returns to Earth, Splashes Down in Pacific