The nasa artemis ii astronauts moon mission is now in its final stretch, with the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts closing the distance to Earth on Thursday morning, April 9, ET. The crew is moving toward a planned water landing off the California coast at approximately 8: 07 p. m. ET on Friday, April 10. NASA says the astronauts are less than two days from returning home after a historic journey around the Moon.
Artemis II astronauts move through the last leg
As of Thursday morning, Orion still had tens of thousands of miles to go before splashdown, but the direction of travel now matters as much as the distance itself. The nasa artemis ii astronauts moon mission has reached the point where the crew is closer in space to Earth than to the Moon, a clear sign that the return is underway.
NASA’s online tracker placed the spacecraft at nearly 160, 000 miles from Earth, with the Moon about 120, 000 miles behind. On Monday, April 6, 2026, at 1: 56 p. m. ET, the four astronauts reached 248, 655 miles from Earth, setting a new human distance record and surpassing Apollo 13’s mark from 1970.
What the crew saw on the far side
During the mission, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen traveled farther from Earth than any spacefarer in human history has ever gone. They also saw the far side of the Moon, a view no one else has experienced in the same way.
The crew appeared to be in good spirits during a media conference on Thursday morning, taking questions as the mission neared its end. Their return is being watched closely because this test flight has combined distance, observation, and a high-profile reentry timeline in one tightly followed arc. The nasa artemis ii astronauts moon mission is now shifting from exploration to recovery, with the landing window narrowing by the hour.
What officials say about the return
NASA’s official tracker remains the key public tool for following Orion’s path as the spacecraft continues toward Earth. The agency has identified the splashdown zone as off the coast of San Diego, where the crew is scheduled to land Friday evening ET.
The mission has also stood out for what it represents: a test flight around the Moon that pushed human travel farther than ever before. For the astronauts and for NASA, the last leg of the nasa artemis ii astronauts moon mission is now a matter of timing, conditions, and a clean water landing.
What happens next for Artemis II
The next major moment is the planned splashdown on Friday, April 10, at approximately 8: 07 p. m. ET. If the landing goes as scheduled, the crew’s return will close out a mission that made history before turning homeward. For now, the nasa artemis ii astronauts moon mission remains in its final approach, with the world watching Orion complete the journey back to Earth.
