Ranking Member Lofgren Celebrates Successful Artemis II Return
(Washington, DC) — Today, the Artemis II Orion crew capsule, Integrity, carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after its ten-day journey around the moon. The astronauts were safely recovered from the Orion capsule and will be transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
“Today’s successful completion of the Artemis II mission and safe return of our brave astronauts is a historic achievement," said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). "From launch to landing, Artemis II has captured the attention of the world and spurred inspiration among us all. The mission tested key capabilities required to support crew on future Artemis missions and carried out important lunar science activities. While the Artemis II mission may have ended, our return to the Moon is just beginning. We are now one step closer to once again landing American astronauts on the lunar surface and establishing a long-term presence in deep space. I want to highlight the tremendous work of NASA’s employees and partners, without whom this mission would not have been possible. This was a monumental accomplishment in human space exploration, and I am confident there will be many more to follow.”
Today’s safe reentry of Orion and return of the crew marks the completion of the Artemis II mission. After Orion is recovered, NASA will continue to evaluate and inspect the spacecraft and review the data collected on the Artemis II test objectives as they prepare for future missions.
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