Artemis II astronauts receive hero’s welcome as they return to Houston after splashdown back on Earth

SpaceArtemis II astronauts receive hero’s welcome as they return to Houston after splashdown back on EarthArtemis II's crew of four returned to Texas after mission around the moonMarcia Dunn & Graeme MassieSunday 12 April 2026 05:54 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2955939To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/space/nasa-astronauts-moon-artemis-b2955995.html","title":"Artemis II astronauts receive hero’s welcome as they return to Houston"}}Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inboxSign up to our free IndyTech newsletterSign up to our free IndyTech newsletterEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Tech_Newsletter","regTitle":"IndyTech","subscriptionGroup":"indytech","subscriptionGroupId":"c9972e20-b4d1-4401-a88f-777e77be0046","type":"tech","pathPrefix":["/space","/tech","/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech","/tech/security"],"associatedAuthors":["Andrew Griffin","Anthony Cuthbertson"],"title":"Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox","mobileTitle":"Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/indyTech1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveTech","regSourceSection":"Space","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false} The Artemis II astronauts received a hero’s welcome on Saturday as they returned to their Houston base after splashing back down to Earth a day earlier.The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego, where they landed in the Pacific the evening before. Af...