After contact was regained with the Orion spacecraft, mission specialist Christina Koch shared a message with NASA’s Mission Control on behalf of the crew.
“We will explore, we will build, we will build ships, we will visit again,” Koch said. “We will construct science outposts, we will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry we will inspire, but — ultimately — we will always choose Earth, we will always choose each other.”

NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, seen here on the fourth day of the mission, prepping for lunar flyby activities after completing aerobic exercise on the flywheel device, April 5, 2026.
NASA
The crew is on its observation break, which will last about an hour, according to Mission Control.

