"Next step, Mars," President Donald Trump declared as NASA’s Artemis II astronauts returned safely to Earth on Friday night.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Donald Trump congratulated the crew of Artemis II after their capsule completed what the space agency described as a "textbook touchdown" in the Pacific Ocean.
"We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!" he wrote.
The mission concluded at 8:07 pm EDT on Friday when the Orion capsule splashed down off the coast of California following a ten-day journey that included a flyby of the far side of the Moon.
"What a journey," said mission commander Reid Wiseman shortly after landing.
Artemis II saw its four-person crew travel further from Earth than any humans before, reaching a maximum distance of 248,655 miles from the planet.
The re-entry phase, widely regarded as the most dangerous part of the mission, took around 13 minutes.
During that time, Orion slowed from approximately 25,000 miles per hour to just under 20mph as it passed through Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA officials confirmed that, despite a brief communications issue after splashdown, all astronauts were in excellent condition.
Wiseman, along with Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, was recovered around an hour after landing and flown to the US Navy dock ship USS John P Murtha.
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The crew were scheduled to undergo routine medical checks before returning to shore and flying to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Trump said the mission had been "spectacular" and confirmed he had invited the astronauts to visit the White House.
The president had already spoken to the crew earlier in the week while they were deep in space, praising their achievement during a live call.
His remarks reignited discussion about a future human mission to Mars, a long-term ambition often associated with entrepreneur Elon Musk.
While there is currently no fixed timetable, NASA has said Mars remains its ultimate destination for human exploration.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman echoed the optimism surrounding the mission’s success.
"This is just the beginning. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them home safely," he said during the live broadcast.
Following Artemis II’s success, Artemis III is scheduled for mid-2027.
Its objectives have evolved from a planned lunar south pole landing to testing docking operations between Orion and commercial lunar landers from companies including SpaceX and Blue Origin.
NASA has said that while the Moon remains the immediate focus, preparations are continuing for eventual crewed missions to Mars, potentially in the 2030s.