'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission
After their historic lunar flyby, the crew safely splashed down in the Pacific.
NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
A "textbook" splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.
Key Headlines
- Crew makes 1st appearance since return from historic mission
- 'Welcome home, Artemis': Jubilant and emotional, crew speaks out on historic moon mission
- Trump says he will welcome Artemis II crew to White House 'soon'
- NASA officials hail 'new era' of space exploration after successful mission
- Crew members hoisted into helicopters
- All 4 crew members out of the capsule
Artemis II astronauts arrive at launchpad
The Artemis II crew has arrived at the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA has said the four astronauts remain on track to launch at 6:24 p.m. ET.
Artemis II astronauts head to the launchpad
The four-person Artemis II crew is heading to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"It's a great day for us. It's a great day for the team," mission commander Reid Wiseman told a crowd of family members, fans and media after exiting the Operations and Checkout Facility.
The astronauts piled into an Astrovan to transport them across campus to the launch tower.
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado and Mary Kekatos
What life will be like for the Artemis II astronauts inside the Orion crew module
Imagine being cramped in the back seat of a car for several hours as the twists and turns of the highway intensify already uncomfortable circumstances.
Now imagine similar conditions on a 10-day trip, traveling a distance of 685,000 miles at over 20,000 miles per hour.
That's what lies ahead for the four astronauts on the Artemis II mission onboard the Orion crew module.
Read more here.
-ABC News' Mason Leib
Artemis II astronauts are suiting up
The four Artemis II astronauts are suiting up, officially stepping into their Orion Crew Survival System (OCCS) spacesuits as they prepare for their long-awaited launch.
These specialized suits are worn during the most critical phases of flight: liftoff and reentry.
The astronauts are also undergoing leak checks to ensure that their suits are airtight. They conduct a total of three leak checks in the suit-up room and then three more checks once in the Orion crew capsule, according to NASA.
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado