Orion spacecraft has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, ending Artemis II’s historic 10-day mission to the moon and back.

NASA mission managers hold a briefing as the crew prepares for tomorrow night's scheduled splashdown. The Artemis II team is finishing a historic 10-day lunar journey, marking the first time humans have seen the Moon up close since 1972.

The four Artemis II astronauts, returning from ⁠the ⁠world's first crewed moon voyage in over half a ⁠century, hurtled back toward Earth on Friday aboard their gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft, headed for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off ​Southern California.

How will the Artemis II water landing go near California? Here's everything to know before the historic moon mission comes to an end.

CNN’s Erin Burnett talks to Charlie Duke, the youngest of only 12 human beings ever to walk on the moon, about what it will feel like inside the Orion spacecraft when the crew reenters the Earth’s atmosphere in the most dangerous part of the Artemis II mission.

Officials with NASA gave an update Thursday on the re-entry process for the Artemis II mission ahead of Friday's planned splashdown.

Liftoff. Crowds. A stunning moon. Artemis II launched April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center, sending the crew on 10-day viral moon-orbiting mission.

On Wednesday, two days after their moon flyby, the crew of the Artemis II mission settled in for a day of preparation to return to Earth.