Cantwell Celebrates Artemis II’s Return to Earth

Cantwell Celebrates Artemis II's Return to Earth

EDMONDS, WA - Today, the Artemis II crew successfully returned to Earth. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released this statement:

"Congratulations to NASA and the entire Artemis team on an extraordinary mission. The four astronauts who returned safely to Earth today paved the way not only for a return to the Moon, but for a sustained human presence there. When I spoke with the pilot of the Orion spacecraft, Victor Glover yesterday, I was struck by his emphasis on the importance of human exploration itself - that there is something uniquely powerful about people going, seeing, learning, and representing all of us. With the support of 41 companies in Washington state, the Artemis II mission met its key objectives and was an absolute success. But beyond the mission's technical achievements, the astronauts also imparted a powerful message about unity and the importance of caring for our shared home planet."

Yesterday, Sen. Cantwell spoke live to the Artemis II crew about their mission and the future of human space exploration.

Last week, she visited two of the dozens of Washington state companies that are supplying NASA's Artemis Mission - Karman Space & Defense in Mukilteo, and L3Harris in Redmond.

READ MORE:

The Seattle Times: Washington's space economy powers the Artemis II moonshot

KIRO 7: Artemis II: Washington's hand in the upcoming historic flight around the moon

GeekWire: Watch NASA count down to the launch of humanity's first moon voyage in nearly 54 years

Sen. Cantwell has been a champion for our nation's space industry and its aerospace workforce, and currently oversees NASA and the space industry as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee. Last month, Sen. Cantwell led bipartisan, unanimous passage through the Commerce Committee of the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, which confirms support for the Artemis missions.

Fact Sheet: Washington's Space Economy and Sen. Cantwell's Support for the Artemis Program

Karman Space & Defense is a manufacturer of mission-critical subsystems for launch vehicles, spacecraft, and hypersonic systems. The company's Mukilteo campus produces components for the Orion capsule that is flying on the Artemis II mission. This includes the capsule's propellant-drive hatch release mechanisms, which allow for crew egress from the capsule in the event of emergency, and forward bay cover thrusters, which expose the capsule's parachutes and allows them to deploy after reentry. Karman also has facilities in Arlington and Skagit. Altogether, more than 500 Karman employees work in Washington state. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw two systems which are flying on the Artemis II mission, including mission-critical safety systems. Sen. Cantwell also discussed how Karman's leading-edge composites are used in space programs.

L3Harris specializes in rocket propulsion, holding contracts to provide many of the thrusters used on Artemis. The company's Redmond facility has manufactured spacecraft thrusters for NASA since 1968 and has supported famous missions such as Viking and Voyager. More than 400 employees work at the Redmond campus. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw replicas of the 21 thrusters that will be used to return the four astronauts on Artemis II safely back to Earth.

Artemis II is the first crewed flight of the Artemis missions, designed to confirm that the SLS rocket and Orion space vehicle operate as designed with crew onboard in a deep space environment. The crew spent a total of 10 days in space and completed a lunar flyby, reaching the farthest point humans have ever traveled, before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

• NASA's livestream of yesterday's exchange is available HERE.
• Video showing Sen. Cantwell as she spoke to the astronauts from her Seattle office is available HERE.
• All media assets from last week's tours are available HERE
• Video of the Karman (Mukilteo) tour is available HERE; photos HERE
• Video of the L3Harris (Redmond) presentation is available HERE; photos HERE
• A transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks at L3Harris is HERE
• A fact sheet on Washington's space economy and Sen. Cantwell's support for Artemis program is HERE.

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