Entertainment
Artemis II capsule splashes down in Pacific, ending first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years
- Four astronauts flew farther from Earth than anyone before.
- Mission marked first human voyage to moon in half century.
- Atmospheric re-entry posed key test of capsule’s heat shield.
The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew streaked through Earth’s atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after nearly 10 days in space, capping the first voyage by humans to the vicinity of the moon in over half a century.
Nasa’s gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, parachuted gently into the sea off the Southern California coast shortly after 5 p.m. PT, concluding a mission that took the astronauts deeper into space than anyone had flown before.
The Artemis II flight, travelling a total of 694,392 miles (1,117,515 km) across two Earth orbits and a climactic lunar flyby some 252,000 miles away, was the debut crewed test flight in a series of Artemis missions that aim to start landing astronauts on the lunar surface starting in 2028.
The splashdown, about two hours before sunset, was carried by live video feed in a Nasa webcast.
Recovery teams were standing by to secure the floating capsule and retrieve the crew – US astronauts Reid Wiseman, 50, Victor Glover, 49, and Christina Koch, 47, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, 50.
The crew’s homecoming cleared a critical final hurdle for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft, proving it would withstand the extreme forces of re-entry from a lunar-return trajectory.
It followed a white-knuckle, 13-minute fiery plunge through Earth’s atmosphere, generating frictional heat that sent temperatures on the capsule’s exterior soaring to some 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius).
At the peak of re-entry stress, as expected, intense heat and air compression formed a red-hot sheath of ionised gas, or plasma, that engulfed the capsule, cutting off radio communications with the crew for several minutes.
The tension broke as contact was re-established and two sets of parachutes were seen billowing from the nose of the free-falling capsule, slowing its descent to about 15 mph (25 kph) before Orion gently hit the water.
It was expected to take Nasa and US Navy teams about an hour to secure the floating capsule and assist the four astronauts out of the vehicle and fly them to a nearby recovery ship to undergo an initial medical checkup.
Stepping stone to Mars
The quartet blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1, lofted into an initial Earth orbit by Nasa’s giant Space Launch System rocket before sailing on for a rare journey around the far side of the moon.
In so doing, they became the first astronauts to fly in the vicinity of Earth’s only natural satellite since the Apollo programme of the 1960s and ’70s. Glover, Koch and Hansen also made history as the first Black astronaut, the first woman and the first non-US citizen, respectively, to take part in a lunar mission.
At the flight’s peak, the Artemis astronauts reached a point 252,756 miles from Earth, exceeding the previous record of roughly 248,000 miles set in 1970 by the crew of Apollo 13.
The voyage, following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight around the moon by the Orion spacecraft in 2022, marked a critical dress rehearsal for a planned attempt later this decade to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in late 1972.
The ultimate goal of the Artemis programme is to establish a long-term presence on the moon as a stepping stone to eventual human exploration of Mars.
In a historical parallel to the Cold War era of Apollo, the Artemis II mission has played out against a backdrop of political and social turmoil, including a US military conflict that has proven unpopular at home.
Unlike the Apollo era, when the United States was racing to land astronauts on the moon ahead of the Soviet Union, the Artemis programme is seeking to beat China.
For many in a global audience captivated by the latest moon shot, it reaffirmed the achievements of science and technology at a time when big tech has become widely distrusted, even feared. Opinion polling showed broad public support for the aims of the mission.
The return to Earth put the Orion spacecraft through a critical test of its heat shield, which sustained an unexpected level of scorching and stress on re-entry during its 2022 test flight. As a result, Nasa engineers altered the descent trajectory for Artemis II to reduce heat buildup and lower the risk of the capsule burning up.
Last week’s successful launch was a major milestone for the SLS rocket, handing its principal contractors, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, long-sought validation that the launch system, more than a decade in development, was ready to safely fly humans to space.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got the spotlight for their emotional gesture during their much-talked visit to Australia.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex never fail to make headlines as thier every move attracts attention from both media and social media users.
Meghan and Harry, who are no longer working members of a royal family, have been accused of exploiting sick children during their hospital visit in Melbourne, the couple’s tour is also being dubbed ‘pseudo-royal’.
The California-based husband and wife triggered a fresh firestorm soon after they touched down in the country, where Harry’s parents, King Charles III and his late ex-wife, Princess Diana, visited together 1985.
Prince Archi and Princess Lilibet’s parente got emotional as the met kids. They posed with “visibly sick” children at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
However, their act has been slammed as media opportunity as cameras and phones captured the Sussexes posing alongside the youngsters, giving hugs and taking selfies.
The couple’s critics, as usual began to judge their move soon after clips and photos webnt viral, calling it a publicity stunt, with one blasting the move as “performative nonsense”.
Harry, 41, and Markle, 44, chose a location with a very storied royal history to mark their first appearance in Australia since their 2018 tour as royal newlyweds.
The now-private citizens toured the hospital the prince’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, first visited in 1963. She returned in 2011, along with her husband, Prince Philip, to officially open the hospital on its current site.
The Sussexes toured the facility as private citizens after quitting the royal family in 2020.
Critics, however, slammed them for allegedly using the children as “props”. One user wrote: “Truly sickening to put all those babies, some with compromised immune systems, in the room for a photo op.”
Another responded: “I have no words. The Royal Children’s Hospital is a much-loved place in the hearts of Victorians. I am disgusted that they used this place to PR grift!”
One went on accusing theom of hypocracy, saying: “So their own children are too important for anyone to have seen their faces, yet these poor children are fine to be used as props. Absolutely disgusting.”
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rallied sharply on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 4,000 points as investor sentiment strengthened on optimism surrounding potential US-Iran talks.
US President Donald Trump has said negotiations between US and Iranian officials could resume in Pakistan in the next two days and Vice President JD Vance, who led weekend talks last week that ended without a breakthrough, said he felt positive about where things stood.
“I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, adding he did not think it would be necessary to extend a two-week ceasefire that ends on April 21.
KSE-100 index, the benchmark of the PSX, surged to 170,179.03 points after registering a rise of 4,544.19 points or 2.74%, up from the previous close of 165,634.84 points.
Ahfaz Mustafa, CEO of Ismail Iqbal Securities, told Geo.tv: “The expectations of the Middle East conflict resolving by the weekend, and lower oil prices have given new confidence to investors.”
“This, coupled with Saudi deposits, and an overall feel-good sentiment due to Pakistan taking centre stage, is fueling the rally,” the analyst added.
Saudi Arabia will provide $3 billion in additional support for Pakistan to help the South Asian nation bridge a multibillion-dollar gap in its finances linked to an upcoming debt repayment to the United Arab Emirates.
The extra funding for Pakistan comes on top of Riyadh extending the rollover arrangement for an additional $5 billion deposit for a longer period, Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told reporters in Washington.
Under Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF programme, the country is targeting foreign exchange reserves of more than $18 billion by June.
“Senator Aurangzeb said this support comes at a critical time for Pakistan’s external financing needs and would help reinforce foreign exchange reserves and strengthen the country’s external account,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
- Fresh $3bn support to be disbursed next week.
- Pakistan repays $1.4bn Eurobond, calls it non-event.
- IMF, investors show confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook.
WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia has committed $3 billion in additional financial support for Pakistan, with disbursement expected next week, while also extending its existing $5 billion deposit for a longer period, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists in Washington on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026, Aurangzeb said the fresh Saudi support comes at a critical time for Pakistan’s external financing needs and will help bolster foreign exchange reserves and strengthen the external account.
The development comes amid reports that Pakistan was in talks with Saudi Arabia and China to secure financial support as it prepares to repay a roughly $3 billion loan to the United Arab Emirates.
The talks, The News reported, citing Bloomberg, involve loans and investment, the people said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. The amount of support under discussion is more than $3.5 billion, one of the people said.
Pakistan failed to reach an agreement with the UAE to roll over the debt for the first time in seven years. Islamabad will now repay the amount by the end of this month, putting significant strain on its foreign exchange reserves, which stand at about $16 billion, enough to cover just three months of imports.
FinMin Aurangzeb, while talking to the media today, noted that the government remains committed to maintaining reserves in line with its obligations under the IMF-supported programme, targeting around $18 billion — equivalent to approximately 3.3 months of import cover — by the end of the current fiscal year.
He further revealed that the existing $5 billion Saudi deposit will no longer be subject to annual rollover arrangements and will instead be extended for a longer tenure, providing greater financial stability.
Highlighting recent developments, the finance minister said Pakistan had successfully repaid its $1.4 billion Eurobond last week, describing the transaction as a “non-event,” and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to meet all upcoming external obligations on time under a clearly defined and disciplined financing plan.
He also shared that he, along with the State Bank of Pakistan governor and Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, held a detailed meeting with Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan in Washington. He added that he had also met the Saudi minister earlier in Islamabad but refrained from public comment at the time due to the absence of formal communication.
The minister expressed gratitude to Saudi leadership, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Finance Minister Al-Jadaan and the Saudi vice finance minister, for their continued support and cooperation in finalising the package.
Aurangzeb also acknowledged the role of Pakistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and key economic officials, in securing and operationalising the support.
He said Pakistan is witnessing growing confidence from international financial institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, as well as institutional investors, noting that the country’s recent diplomatic role in facilitating dialogue between rival states has been widely appreciated.
The minister added that this international goodwill, combined with Saudi Arabia’s timely assistance, has strengthened economic momentum and investor confidence.
He further noted that Pakistan is advancing its broader external financing strategy, including the Global Medium-Term Note (GMTN) programme and plans for its inaugural Panda Bond issuance, aimed at diversifying funding sources and enhancing market access.
Concluding his remarks, Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government’s commitment to macroeconomic stability, continuity of reforms, timely debt servicing, and sustained engagement with bilateral and multilateral partners, adding that a detailed media briefing would follow at the end of his visit.
Australian business confidence plunges in March amid uncertainty: NAB
Transfer rumors, news: Bayern eye move for Newcastle’s Gordon
India-US trade deal back in focus: Indian delegation to visit Washington next week for talks – The Times of India
-
Fashion1 week agoIndia’s exports face reset as EU links trade to carbon metrics: EY
-
Entertainment1 week agoQueen Elizabeth II emotional message for Archie, Lilibet sparks speculation
-
Entertainment1 week agoLamar Odom shocking response to Khloé Kardashian account of his overdose
-
Tech7 days agoAs the Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Global Shipping Will Take Months to Recover
-
Tech7 days agoAzure customers up in arms over ‘full’ UK South region | Computer Weekly
-
Fashion1 week agoCII submits 20-pt agenda to Indian govt to back firms hit by Iran war
-
Tech6 days agoThis AI Button Wearable From Ex-Apple Engineers Looks Like an iPod Shuffle
-
Tech1 week agoA Single Strike Won’t Shut Off the Gulf’s Desalination System