Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen safely splashed down on April 15, 2026, concluding a crewed lunar flyby and return to Earth. NASA reported a missing patch on the Orion capsule's heat shield after splashdown but said the anomaly produced no unexpected conditions during reentry or recovery. NASA photography trainers Paul Reichert and Katrina Willoughby provided about 20 hours of specialized instruction, and the crew photographed the Milky Way on April 7, 2026, capturing the galaxy's spiral arms and central bar. Congressional budget proposals still include cuts to NASA funding despite Artemis II's mission success.