“The splashdown of a lifetime.” Viral video reveals how photographers captured the Artemis II splashdown in the middle of the ocean

NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers aboard is seen as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026 — (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls))

The launch of the Artemis II could be seen from as far as around 150 miles (240 km) away, but the landing for the historic moon mission was a view that few managed to witness. But, a new video shared by NASA is showing how photographers managed to capture the historic event around 40-50 miles off the coast of San Diego: out the open door of a helicopter.

This week, NASA shared a behind-the-scenes video, captured by photographer Josh Valcarcel, of how a team of photographers captured the splashdown. The video has already gained more than 100,000 likes in a day.

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The footage shows the photographers gearing up, boarding a helicopter, and taking off from a ship. Hovering over the Pacific Ocean, the crew opened the helicopter door to shoot out the window with the Nikon Z9 and Z 800mm f/6.3 VR lens.

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Several NASA photographers were able to witness the splashdown, with official images from NASA carrying several photo credits, including Bill Ingalls, James Blair, and Valcarcel. Valcarcel was also the photographer behind the official crew portrait of the four astronauts in 2023.

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NASA’s Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following a successful 10-day mission — (Image credit: Josh Valcarcel)

Like the astronauts on board the Orion space capsule, the photos’ metadata indicates that the decade-old Nikon D5 with an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens was also responsible for some of the images of the landing, along with the Z9 mirrorless camera.

The four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glove, and Christina Koch with Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen – splashed down safely on April 10, completing a nearly ten-day mission that orbited along the far side of the moon.

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NASA Artemis II crew members are hoisted into a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter after successfully splashing down in the Pacific Ocean following their 10-day mission around the Moon. — (Image credit: NASA/James Blair)

The Artemis II mission included several historic firsts, sending humans on the farthest space journey yet. The mission has already led to a number of iconic photographs, from the Earth with an aurora at both poles, the Earth rising over the lunar surface, and a total solar eclipse seen from space.

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