New footage shows moment Orion capsule hatch is opened at sea

Newly released video has captured the dramatic moment a recovery crew opened the hatch of the Artemis II Orion capsule at sea, revealing a joyful reunion with the four astronauts inside. Cheers erupted as the crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — were confirmed safe and well following their splashdown on Friday, 10 April. The footage provides a vivid glimpse into the culmination of a historic mission that saw the astronauts travel further from Earth than any human has ever gone before. The Artemis II mission represents a pivotal milestone in NASA's ambitious program to return humans to the Moon and eventually pave the way for crewed missions to Mars. After years of preparation and a highly publicized rollout of the 98m tall Space Launch System rocket to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the successful recovery of the crew marks the end of a groundbreaking chapter in space exploration. However, as analysts have noted, the mission's conclusion is only the beginning of the challenges ahead for the Artemis program.