Artemis II safely splashes down

What to know about Artemis II's splashdown return:

• NASA's returned to Earth from their on Friday with a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, after making a high-speed reentry through the atmosphere.
• The carried a crew of four — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — after a nine-day mission that set a record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from our planet.
• Navy recovery crews will bring the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha for medical checks before they helicopter back to land.

Trump congratulates Artemis II crew, says he'll see them at the White House soon

In a post Friday night, President Trump congratulated the crew on their "spectacular" mission and said he "could not be more proud!"

"Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II," he wrote. "The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We'll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!"

Orion powers down as communication is restored with recovery team

Following a brief technical issue, communication has been restored between the Artemis II crew aboard Orion and the recovery team.

The crew module has been powered down for recovery, and members of the recovery crew are approaching the capsule and performing a sweep with air quality sensors to make sure no hazardous fumes, such as hydrazine propellant or ammonia coolant, are leaking from the spacecraft.

Once Orion is deemed safe to approach, Navy divers can bring their boats up against the bobbing capsule and members of the 16- to 20-person team jump into the water and begin attaching hardware to steady the capsule and prepare it for crew extraction and recovery.

This includes installing a sea anchor — an underwater parachute that stabilizes the capsule — as well as an inflatable collar around its base.

Before the astronauts can exit the capsule, divers will install an inflatable raft, called a front porch, under Orion's side hatch.

NASA personnel, U.S. military now approaching Orion

U.S. military and NASA personnel are approaching Orion following its splashdown, NASA said.

The crew will be extracted from Orion about an hour after splashdown, although a communication issue between the recovery team and Integrity may delay that. They will then be flown to USS John P. Murtha, which is stationed nearby, for medical evaluations.

Meanwhile, Navy divers will attach a cable to Orion to tow it to a specially designed cradle inside Murtha's well deck.

Orion will then be returned to Naval Base San Diego, before being transported back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the capsule will be inspected and its valuable data retrieved, NASA said.

NASA troubleshooting communication issue between recovery team and Orion

NASA is troubleshooting an issue with communications between the Orion capsule Integrity and the recovery team. The planned power-down of the spacecraft has been delayed as recovery teams waits nearby.

The power-down is a post-splashdown step in which flight controllers shut down nonessential systems and transition the capsule into its recovery configuration. This reduces power demand and prepares the spacecraft for crew extraction as recovery teams move in.

Trump watched Artemis II splashdown, White House official says

President Trump watched the splashdown of the Artemis II crew on TV, a White House official told CBS News.

A television was brought into a roundtable dinner so the president could see the event, the official said. The president is at a winery in Virginia for a fundraising event.

during the mission, after they completed their flyby around the moon, and told them they had "inspired the entire world."

"Today, you've made history and made all America really proud," he told them Monday. "Humans have never really seen anything quite like what you're doing in a manned spacecraft. It's really special."

Mission Control: "A perfect bullseye splashdown"

After Orion dropped into the Pacific Ocean, Mission Control called it "a perfect bullseye splashdown."

"This is a perfect descent for Integrity," Mission Control said.

NASA also said Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman radioed that all four crew members are doing well.

Artemis II crew back on Earth as Orion splashes down in the Pacific

The Orion capsule has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 40 to 50 miles off the coast of San Diego, with the four Artemis II astronauts back on Earth after their historic 10-day trip to the moon.

"This is a perfect descent," a NASA commentator said as the capsule parachuted gently to the surface.

The splashdown occurred at 8:07 p.m. ET, right on schedule.

Parachutes deploy

Parachutes have begun to deploy to slow the Orion crew capsule down from about 300 mph to a safe velocity of less than 20 mph for splashdown.

Orion emerges from communication blackout: "We have you loud and clear!"

The Orion capsule emerged from its communications blackout and the crew confirmed to Mission Control, "We have you loud and clear!"

6-minute communications blackout period begins

An expected 6-minute communications blackout period has taken effect as Orion reenters the atmosphere. The blackout began at about 7:53 p.m. ET.

The blackout is due to the heat shield from the spacecraft enduring temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures cause plasma to form around the capsule, blocking the transmission of radio signals.

Temperatures inside will remain comfortable, but the crew is feeling about 3.9 Gs at this time.

Orion will emerge from the communications blackout just shy of 8 p.m. ET, with about 7 minutes to go before splashdown.

At about 8:03 p.m. Orion will jettison its forward bay cover and deploy its drogue parachutes near 22,000 feet. About one minute later, at 8:04 p.m., it will unfurl its three main parachutes around 6,000 feet to slow the capsule for splashdown.

Suni Williams says Artemis II astronauts are likely "pretty excited" ahead of reentry

Retired NASA astronaut Suni Williams told CBS News that the Artemis II astronauts must be feeling "pretty excited" for their reentry.

"They're excited, they're in their seats, they're all strapped in, they're probably getting ready, they're gonna start to feel gravity before too long, and that allows you to tighten down your straps," said Williams, who retired from NASA in January.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore

for 286 days between 2024 and 2025 because of technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that delayed their return.## Final maneuver complete, with heat shield lined up

NASA says Orion has successfully completed the crew module raise burn, adjusting the spacecraft's orientation to align its heat shield for reentry.

Crew module separates from service module to prepare for reentry

Mission Control confirmed Orion's crew module separated from the service module as planned.

Following separation, the crew module, with four astronauts onboard, maneuvers so that its heat shield is pointed in the direction of travel. The

from the extreme temperatures that come with hitting the atmosphere at a top speed of about 24,000 mph.## Orion switches to new communication system as it prepares for reentry

NASA says Orion has transferred its communications from the agency's Deep Space Network system to its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system.

According to NASA, the Deep Space Network is the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world, while the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System allows the capsule to maintain communication in low Earth orbit.

Astronauts confirm they're suited up for reentry

Shortly before 7 p.m. ET, the astronauts confirmed that they've compl