Artemis II crew return to Houston and say they are 'bonded forever'

The crew of Artemis II has returned to Houston and said they are 'bonded forever' after completing their historic lunar flyby. 

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, wrapped up a ten-day mission that carried them around the moon and farther than any human had ever travelled into space before. 

The group received a standing ovation on Saturday as they returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to speak out for the first time after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

'We are bonded forever. And no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through. It was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life,' Wiseman said.

The commander grew emotional as he explained how it was 'not easy' being hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth, but that the crew enjoyed the experience with each other.

'Man, this was not easy being 200,000 plus miles away from home. Like before you launch, it feels like it's the greatest dream on Earth. And when you're out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends,' he said.

'It's a special thing to be a human, and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth.'

Koch added that she and crewmates are 'inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked' after their mission to fly by the moon. 

'This is the furthest I've been from Reid in a long time,' Jeremy Hansen teased as he spoke at the press conference. 

They returned to Earth late Friday night, landing off the coast of California after 10 days in space. 

Glover reflected on his faith, and thanked God and his family after the mission.

'When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God in public. And I want to thank God again,' he said.

'The gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did, and being with who I was with. It's too big to just be in one body.'

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.