Trump praises Artemis 2 crew after historic mission to the moon, and looks forward to Mars next
US President Donald Trump on Saturday congratulated the crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission after their successful return to Earth, praising the astronauts and declaring that the next stage of US space exploration will be Mars.In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Congratulations to the great and extremely talented Artemis II crew. The entire flight was amazing, the landing was perfect, and as President of the United States, I couldn’t be prouder! I look forward to seeing you all in the White House soon. We will do it again and then, next step, Mars! President Donald Trump.”
These statements came after NASA’s Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts landed in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, early Saturday, completing a 10-day flyby mission around the moon.The crew — Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen — traveled farther from Earth than any human in history, reaching a record 406,771 kilometers on the far side of the Moon, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.The mission tested deep space systems including life support, navigation and propulsion, paving the way for a manned landing on the moon in 2028.
During the flight, the astronauts also took photos and observations while orbiting the Moon before beginning their return.The Orion capsule, named Integrity, reentered Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to Mach 33 before deploying parachutes for landing. A joint NASA-US military recovery team, supported by the USS John P. Murtha, recovered the crew for medical examinations.The successful landing represents a major step in NASA’s renewed lunar program, with Trump’s comments casting a political spotlight on the agency’s long-term ambitions to expand human missions beyond the moon to Mars.
