The Artemis II mission astronauts are preparing to return to Earth after a historic 10-day lunar flyby, calling it part of a “golden age of space travel.”

The crew said the mission demonstrated what international cooperation and shared goals can achieve, and they hope it inspires younger generations.

NASA officials and mission leaders emphasized the extreme precision and complex coordination required for the capsule’s high-speed re-entry and ocean splashdown off California.

The Orion spacecraft will undergo a carefully timed sequence of separation, atmospheric re-entry, parachute deployment, and recovery at sea, The Guardian has reported.

After splashdown, the astronauts will be medically evaluated before returning to NASA Johnson Space Center.