From left, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew, are welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis astronauts are welcomed back to Houston at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II crew is welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis astronauts hug as they are welcomed back to Houston at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Victor Glover, pilot of the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
NASA astronauts gather to welcome back the Artemis II astronauts at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
People wait to welcome the Artemis II astronauts back to Houston at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
From left, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew, are welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
NASA astronauts gather to welcome back the Artemis II astronauts at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Jeremy Hansen, a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Christina Koch, a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II crew is welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Christina Koch, a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, speaks on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Victor Glover, pilot of the Artemis II mission, speaks on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II crew is welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II crew is welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Jeremy Hansen, a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis II mission, is welcomed on stage during a press conference in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Vanessa E. Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, speaks during a press conference welcoming home the Artemis II astronauts in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
NASA astronauts and attendees cheer as the Artemis II crew walks on stage during a press conference welcoming them home in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Norman D. Knight, director of flight operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, speaks during a press conference welcoming home the Artemis II astronauts following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
NASA astronauts gather to welcome back the Artemis II astronauts at Ellington Field in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II crew is welcomed on stage during a press conference following their mission around the moon in Houston on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
The Artemis II astronauts were emotional – laughing, smiling and fighting back tears – as they attempted to convey how flying around the moon changed their lives and their perspectives of the world.
They stood on a stage at Ellington Field less than 24 hours after splashdown and spoke about unity and being part of a crew. They expressed love for their families. And they couldn’t believe how spacious that stage felt.
“This is the farthest I’ve been away from Reid in a long time,” Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen joked.
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NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch joined Hansen on Saturday to celebrate their flight around the moon and safe return home.
TELL US: What are your thoughts on the Artemis II mission?
They greeted their families in private before addressing a large room with astronauts, NASA officials and reporters.
“Before you launch, it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth,” Wiseman said. “And when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
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The Artemis II mission lasted nine days, one hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds. It flew four astronauts around the moon and went farther from Earth than humans have ever traveled.
The mission was a test of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Saturday was a celebration of its crew.
“It is a celebration of four pioneers who represent the very best of humanity, who traveled farther than any humans have gone before and who carried all of us along with them,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
WHAT’S NEXT: When could NASA return to the moon?
Glover chose to keep his remarks brief, thanking God and his family, as he was “afraid to start talking.”
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“I have not processed what we just did,” Glover said.
Koch, after describing what it means to be part of a crew, emphasized the blackness of space that she saw around Earth.
“Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe,” she said. “I know I haven’t learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me, but there’s one new thing I know. Planet Earth, you are a crew.”
Hansen focused on their qualities that captivated the world.
“What you saw was a group of people who loved contributing, having meaningful contribution and extracting joy out of that,” Hansen said. “I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper.”
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After the event, the Artemis II astronauts were heading to the Johnson Space Center for additional medical evaluations. They would get to remain with their families, which marked a key moment for the mission, said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at the Johnson Space Center.
“With their safe return to their families,” he said, “the Artemis II mission is now complete.”