The Artemis II crew is set to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean following a historic lunar flyby as it nears Earth with favourable weather conditions for reentry, NASA said.
The crew, including NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, broke the record for the farthest human spaceflight distance at 252,756 miles from Earth while navigating the far side of the Moon.
During the mission, the crew witnessed a solar eclipse from space, marking another rare moment in human space exploration.
The US Navy's USS John P Murtha (LPD-26) will retrieve the crew and the Orion spacecraft following splashdown.
US Senator Ted Cruz hailed the achievement, saying the astronauts have inspired a new generation of space explorers through their historic mission.
The Artemis II mission represents a key step in NASA's broader plan to return humans to the Moon and advance future deep space exploration.
