'The whole trip was amazing,' Trump praises Artemis II crew after historic Moon mission

News Topical, Digital Desk : US President Donald Trump on Saturday congratulated the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission after their successful return to Earth. He praised the astronauts and declared that the next phase of American space exploration would be Mars.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, " Congratulations to the great and incredibly talented crew of Artemis II. The entire journey was fantastic, the landing was perfect, and as President of the United States, I couldn't be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We'll do it again, and then the next step: Mars! "

successful return to Earth

Trump's comments came as NASA's Orion spacecraft landed in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, early Saturday, completing a 10-day lunar flyby mission.

The crew consisted of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of Canada. They traveled the farthest distance from Earth by any human in history. They reached a record distance of 406,771 kilometers on the far side of the Moon, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record.

Clearing the way for landing on the moon

This mission paved the way for a planned human lunar landing in 2028. During this journey, the astronauts took photographs and made notes as they circled the Moon before returning.

The Orion capsule, named Integra, re-entered Earth's atmosphere at speeds up to Mach 33 and then deployed its parachutes to land in the water. This successful landing marks a significant step in NASA's renewed lunar program.

Trump's comments also put the agency's long-term ambitions of expanding human missions beyond the Moon to Mars in the political spotlight.

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