Artemis II crew returns home & Historic lunar mission records broken - Space News (Apr 13, 2026)

Let's start with the mission that has captured the world's attention. The Artemis II crew is finally home. After nearly ten days in space, the four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening. This wasn't just another space mission. These four became the first humans to venture to the Moon in over fifty years. During their journey, they set multiple records. They traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles. That broke the record set by Apollo 13 back in 1970. At their closest approach to the lunar surface, they flew just 4,067 miles above it. The crew captured stunning imagery during their journey, including more than seven thousand photos. One of the most remarkable moments came when they witnessed a total solar eclipse from behind the Moon—an experience visible only from their unique vantage point in space. What makes this mission particularly historic is who was aboard. Victor Glover became the first Black astronaut to travel to the Moon. Christina Koch became the first woman to reach the Moon's vicinity. And Jeremy Hansen made history as the first Canadian and the first non-U.S. citizen to journey to the Moon.

The astronauts spoke publicly for the first time since their return on Saturday, and they described the experience with genuine awe. The crew emphasized their deep bond formed during the mission, with one crew member saying they were bonded together in a way that no one down on Earth could ever fully understand. NASA officials confirmed that the Artemis II mission concluded with incredible accuracy. The reentry phase was one of the most technically demanding parts of the entire mission. The Orion spacecraft hit the atmosphere at about twenty-four thousand miles per hour—fast enough to travel from New York to London in under ten minutes. The heat shield experienced temperatures approaching five thousand degrees, about half as hot as the surface of the Sun. Engineers had modified the reentry approach based on lessons learned from Artemis One to ensure the spacecraft would handle the extreme conditions safely. All systems performed as expected, and the crew was quickly recovered by Navy and recovery personnel.

This successful mission represents a major milestone for NASA's larger Artemis program. Agency officials are already focused on the next phase—actually landing astronauts on the Moon. NASA is planning Artemis Three for 2027, which will test the rendezvous and docking procedures with commercial lunar landers. Following that, Artemis Four is targeted for 2028 with the goal of putting Americans back on the lunar surface. So Artemis Two serves as the critical test flight that validates all the systems and procedures needed to make that happen.

In other space news, cargo is arriving at the International Space Station today. Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL spacecraft launched on Saturday morning and is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory around one o'clock Eastern Time. The spacecraft is carrying over eleven thousand pounds of supplies and scientific experiments for the crew aboard the station. One particularly interesting payload is a new module designed to advance quantum science research, which could have applications for future computing technology and even help in the search for dark matter. The cargo also includes model organisms for studying the gut microbiome and a receiver that will enhance space weather prediction models. This is especially important for protecting critical infrastructure like GPS and radar systems.

If you're planning to spend some time looking at the night sky this month, April offers some great opportunities. Mercury reaches its greatest elongation on April third, making it easier to spot the often elusive planet. The Lyrid meteor shower will peak on April twenty-first and twenty-second—and here's the good news for observers: there's no bright Moon to wash out the fainter meteors, so conditions should be quite good. If you're interested in comets, Comet C/2025 R3 is putting on a show. Your best viewing window is around April seventeenth, and the comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April twenty-seventh. You'll likely need binoculars or a small telescope to see it clearly. Late April also brings Venus and Uranus into close conjunction on April twenty-third, another nice pairing to observe if you have binoculars handy.

Finally, SpaceX continues its regular Starlink deployment schedule. The company has been maintaining a steady cadence of launches, sending batches of internet satellites into orbit to expand the Starlink constellation. These launches support the ongoing mission to bring high-speed internet connectivity to underserved parts of the world. Starlink has been expanding rapidly, connecting millions of new customers in 2025 and expanding service to dozens of new countries and territories.