Artemis II crew: 'We left as friends - we came back as best friends'

The four crew members gave their first press conference since they splashed down nearly a week ago, and emphasised hope and unity.

The Artemis II astronauts, NASA’s first lunar crew in over 50 years, praised the performance of their Orion spacecraft—particularly its heat shield—after a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission.

NASA has released a behind-the-scenes video showcasing how photographers captured the Artemis II moon mission splashdown approximately 40–50 miles off the coast of San Diego.

The Artemis II mission crew held their first news conference following their historic return from a 10-day journey around the moon.

The Artemis II astronauts have described their historic mission around the moon in their first press conference, saying their time in free fall felt like "if you dove off ... a skyscraper backwards".