NASA says America is "absolutely back" in the space race, rushing to beat China to the moon and build a lunar base under Trump-era Artemis program.

While Apollo was a ‘Lewis and Clark-like’ scientific expedition, planetary research professor James Head III said, Artemis has bigger ambitions: establishing a permanent base on the moon.

After its historic 10-day flight to the moon, Artemis II astronauts splashed down off the coast of California on Friday night.

Follow live coverage of NASA's Artemis II mission splashdown. Get the latest news and see what time to watch as astronauts return from the record-breaking moon mission.

Live coverage of Artemis 2's splashdown begins this evening as four astronauts return from their historic 10-day mission around the moon.

Over the past eight days, the world has watched four intrepid explorers leave Earth, fly around the Moon, and make spaceflight history. The moments of reverence, camaraderie, and bravery we’ve witnessed since the launch of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission have done wonders for my faith in humanity, but sadly, all good things must come to an end.

The USS John P. Murtha — a transport ship longer than two football fields — arrived at Naval Base San Diego playing Elton John’s beloved song “Rocket Man” over its speakers, tapping into the public’s deep interest in the historic 10-day mission.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says the Artemis III crew will be announced soon — and that the next mission will return humans to the moon.