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Artemis II live updates: Nasa astronauts returning to Earth after seeing parts of Moon ‘no human has ever seen’
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Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said the mission astronauts were “locked in” as their capsule circled the Moon and started heading back towards the Earth.
Over a period of seven hours, the crew observed and photographed the Moon, including parts of the lunar surface never seen before.
Onboard the spacecraft, they also experienced their own personal solar eclipse as the Moon was positioned between them and the Sun.
The crew named certain features on the moon to honour the Orion spacecraft as well as commander Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
US president Donald Trump congratulated the crew, hailing their lunar flyby as the start of a new era of American space colonisation.
“You have made history and made all America incredibly proud. Your mission paves the way for America’s return to the lunar surface very soon,” he said on a live broadcast. “We’ll plant our flag once again, and this time we won’t just leave footprints.”
It will take the astronauts four days to get back, with a splashdown in the Pacific set to conclude their test flight on Friday.
Nasa is running a livestream providing continuous coverage of the Artemis II mission.
‘We’re locked in and excited for second half of mission’
Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman said the crew was “locked in” and “excited for second half of the mission” as they circled the Moon and are headed for Earth during a live broadcast on Tuesday.
“We are the first crew to fly this vehicle and ready for any contingency and any scenario,” Wiseman said.
“We are locked in till we’re back on the navy ship and till we’re back home with our families,” he said.
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Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 05:41
What crew did when they flew over lunar far side
As the Orion spacecraft flew over the far side of the Moon, the crew photographed and described terrain features like impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface cracks and ridges.
They made observations of the colour, brightness and texture of these features which would provide clues for scientists to better understand the composition and history of the lunar surface.
Astronauts also witnessed an “earthset”, the moment the Earth dropped below the lunar horizon, and an “earthrise” as the spacecraft emerged from the opposite edge of the moon.
They reported observing light flashes created by meteoroids impacting the lunar surface while traveling many thousands of miles per hour.
The crew also witnessed a nearly hour-long solar eclipse as the spacecraft, the Moon and the Sun aligned.
Once the mission’s lunar data is downlinked from the spacecraft, scientists on earth will look at it and compare with data from amateur atronomers who are also observing the Moon at the same time.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 09:00
In Photos: Moon as seen from Artemis II mission capsule
NASA has shared photos of the moon as taken from the mission’s Orion capsule on Monday.
The photos offer clear views of parts of the near as well as far sides of the lunar surface.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 08:30
Crew spots asteroids striking moon
The Artemis II mission crew said they spotted at least four impact flashes, which are glints of light caused by asteroids striking the moon.
Crew commander Reid Wiseman said he saw two impacts while astronaut Jeremy Hansen saw another two.
“There was a little bit of giddiness,” Wiseman said.
Such asteroid impacts on the lunar surface are common as the moon lacks an atmosphere to slow down space rocks.
Studying lunar asteroid impacts has helped study how the moon has evolved over time.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 08:00
Floating Nutella tub in capsule offers ‘free advertising’ moment
A Nutella tub was spotted photobombing astronauts as it casually floated out of the spacecraft’s kitchen, offering what internet users are calling a “free advertising” moment for the chocolate-hazelnut spread.
The Italian company took to X, sharing a video of the moment.
“Honoured to have traveled further than any spread in history,” it said in the post.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 07:20
Artemis astronauts view their own personal solar eclipse
During the mission, the Artemis crew experienced their own personal solar eclipse as their Orion capsule passed behind the moon, with the sun entirely eclipsed from their perspective.
The eclipse lasted for about an hour and provided astronauts the opportunity to observe the sun’s corona.
During this time mission control on Earth temporarily lost communications with the capsule for about 40 minutes, which was planned and expected.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 06:56
Artemis crew becomes first to see moon’s dark side
The Artemis II crew has become the first to see the lunar far side with human eyes.
A new photo of the moon captured during the mission shows the lunar near side, which is the side we see from earth, on the right, and the far side on the left.
During the mission, the crew also broke the record for how far humans have traveled from earth as they fly around the far side of the moon.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 06:36
Trump speaks with Artemis II astronauts as they head home
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 05:27
‘Maple cookies on the far side’
Astronauts shared that during the 45-minute communications blackout with Earth, they took a 30-second break to take turns to eat maple cookies in space, before quickly getting back to focusing on their science missions.
“We gathered together quickly for about 30 seconds, and each one of us had maple cream cookies and went back into science,” Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman said during a live broadcast on Tuesday.
“We took that moment to honour the time we went behind the Moon and out of touch with Earth, and that was a very surreal moment for this group,” he said.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 05:18
Astronauts share how they felt during 45-minute communications blackout
The Artemis II crew lost signal with ground systems for over 40 minutes, as their spacecraft passed behind the Moon.
“I think one of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the Moon, and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again after being out of communication for about 45 minutes,” astronaut Cristina Koch said during a live broadcast on Tuesday.
“It really does remind you what a special place we have,” Koch said.
Crew member Victor Glover said he had to keep making observations of the Moon during the blackout period.
“I said a little prayer but then had to keep recording scientific observations of the far side of the Moon,” Glover said.
Vishwam Sankaran7 April 2026 05:01