NASA’s Artemis II Crew Begins Earth Return

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Begins Earth Return | Aviation Week Network

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Mark Carreau
Irene Klotz
April 08, 2026

The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on April 6.  Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. The bright spot visible just below the Moon’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.

Credit: NASA

HOUSTON—Following a record-setting, seven-hour pass beyond the far side of the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts returned into the gravitational sphere of Earth April 7 as they continued a free-return trajectory that will bring their nine-day mission to a close with a splashdown in the Pacific…

Mark Carreau

Mark is based in Houston, where he has written on aerospace for more than 25 years. While at the Houston Chronicle, he was recognized by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation in 2006 for his professional contributions to the public understanding of America’s space program through news reporting.

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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