Crew

• Etwa 500 Beamte wurden im Rahmen eines Einsatzes im Hauptquartier der Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light mobilisiert. • Die Polizei hat das Hauptquartier der Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light nach Ermittlungen zu Vorwürfen schwerer Sexualstraftaten, moderner Sklaverei und Zwangsheirat durchsucht. • Etwa 500 Beamte aus der gesamten Nordwestregion waren am Mittwochmorgen vor Ort.

Astronauts make first remarks at jubilant homecoming in Houston after their record-breaking moon flybyStill marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from hundreds who took part in setting a record for deep space travel during the US space agency Nasa’s lunar comeback.The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near Nasa’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control in Houston, flying in from San Diego, where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. Continue reading...

The four astronauts are set to touch down on Earth and conclude the 10-day mission after completing moon flybyThe number of human beings who have travelled to the moon and returned safely to Earth will grow to 28 on Friday night when Nasa’s Orion capsule containing four Artemis II astronauts will glide gently to a Pacific Ocean splashdown beneath three giant parachutes.The scheduled 5.07pm PT landing (1.07am BST Saturday) off the coast of San Diego will mark the end of a 10-day lunar odyssey that made the three Americans and one Canadian the first people to travel beyond lower Earth orbit since the final mission of the Apollo program in December 1972. Continue reading...

Astronauts prepare for re-entry several miles off coast of southern California after 10-day lunar fly-by missionThe crew of Artemis II is set to return to earth on Friday following its historic 10-day lunar flyby mission, and Nasa leaders have described the precise logistics needed to get them home.The return will see the Orion capsule traveling at nearly 24,000mph before making a final splashdown several miles off the coast of San Diego. The operation requires multiple teams and careful coordination to safely extract the crew from the spacecraft. Continue reading...

Nasa astronauts begin journey home having collected eagerly awaited images of impact craters and ridgesNasa’s Artemis II astronauts have described the powerful emotion felt when soaring over the moon as they photographed impact craters, cracks and ridges and began their long journey home.Among the eagerly awaited images captured by the crew, who worked in pairs at the Orion capsule windows, are those of the Earth rising from behind the moon, a solar eclipse and parts of the 590-mile (950km) wide Orientale impact basin that have never been observed with the naked eye. Continue reading...

Astronauts had a call with the US president from space after setting record for the farthest-traveled humans from EarthThe crew of Artemis II phoned home from the moon on Monday night after their record-breaking day, to find Donald Trump musing about how he had saved the US space agency Nasa from closing down and telling the astronauts how much they deserved the honor of the president seeking their autographs.The intermittently uncomfortable 12-minute Earth to space call, facilitated by Nasa administrator and Trump acolyte Jared Isaacman, featured a lengthy period of silence, several references by the president about his friendship with the retired Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky, and how “America is the hottest country in the world right now”. Continue reading...

• NASA's Artemis II mission surpassed the Apollo 13 record on April 6, 2026, at 1:57 p.m. EDT, reaching beyond 248,655 miles (400,171 km) from Earth as the Orion capsule 'Integrity' looped around the moon's far side. • The mission will peak at 252,760 miles (406,777 km), breaking the prior record by 4,100 miles (6,600 km) during its six-hour lunar flyby, marking the first crewed deep-space mission since Apollo. • This milestone validates life-support systems, navigation, and thermal protection for humans, paving the way for sustained lunar presence under the US Artemis program.

Nasa’s Orion capsule will be just over 4,000 miles above lunar surface, allowing astronauts to see both polesThe four astronauts on Nasa’s Artemis II mission are poised to begin the first flyby of the far side of the moon in more than half a century, bringing them to the furthest point from Earth ever reached by humans.The crew of three Americans and one Canadian earlier entered the moon’s “sphere of influence”, where its gravity has a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth’s. Continue reading...

Fake image of airman surrounded by smiling military members has been reshared more than 21,000 times on the X platformSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRepublican politicians were hoaxed over the weekend by an image purporting to be a downed US warplane crew member rescued by military special forces in Iran on Saturday, igniting a call for a national “crash course in media literacy”.Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general and a US senate candidate and Mike Lawler, a New York representative, were all caught out for “liking” a fake picture of the airman, who has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...

Donald Trump will claim rescue as a triumph but 48-hour drama should be a caution against launching ground operationMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump will inevitably claim the rescue of the second crew member of the downed F-15 fighter as a propaganda triumph, though the 48-hour drama is a reminder that an undefeated Iran is able to fight back and inflict costs on the US.It also ought to be a caution for a White House still contemplating a ground operation in Iran whether to seize an island in the Persian Gulf – particularly if there a serious ambition to extract Iran’s highly enriched uranium from deep underground. Continue reading...

Springs fire, which had spread quickly by windy conditions, at least 45% contained on Saturday, say fire officialsCalifornia fire protection crews on Saturday were getting a handle on the wildfire that broke out the previous evening in Riverside county, fanned by high winds that quickly spread the flames to more than 4,100 acres.The Springs fire, about 64 miles (103km) east of Los Angeles, was at least 45% contained on Saturday, a fire department spokesperson said. It was 25% contained late on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Military pilots said F-15 crew member would be trying to hide for as long as possible from the Iranian militaryUS search and rescue efforts for the missing second crew member of the downed F-15E fighter jet continued into a second day as Iran came under heavy bombing and Israel extended the war in Lebanon.A pilot had been rescued on Friday after the F-15E Strike Eagle became the first US plane to be downed over Iran during the five week long war, but the second of the two strong crew has not been accounted for. Continue reading...

Pentagon chief’s remarks come after US army said crews suspended amid investigation into incident in TennesseeDefense secretary Pete Hegseth said the crews of two US army AH-64 Apache helicopters that hovered next to the singer Kid Rock’s swimming pool while he clapped and saluted on Saturday are no longer suspended.“No punishment. No investigation,” Hegseth wrote on social media. “Carry on, patriots.” Continue reading...

• The Artemis II crew held a virtual media briefing from their quarantine facilities at Kennedy Space Center on March 29, 2026, providing updates on mission preparations and crew status. • The media event represents a standard pre-launch protocol for NASA's crewed lunar missions, allowing the public and press to interact with astronauts before their departure. • This briefing marks a key milestone in the Artemis II mission timeline, bringing the crew closer to their scheduled launch date.

CNN team detained while reporting on aftermath of attack by settlers in West Bank, Foreign Press Association saysMiddle East crisis – live updatesAn international media association has condemned what it described as a “violent assault” by Israeli soldiers who detained a CNN crew in the occupied West Bank this week.A CNN team was reporting on the aftermath of an assault by Israeli settlers and the establishment of an illegal outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir on Thursday when it was detained by Israeli soldiers, the Foreign Press Association said on Saturday. Continue reading...

A U.S. military aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 14, 2026, killing all six crew members, as disclosed by U.S. Central Command via social media amid ongoing operations. This incident raises the confirmed U.S. death toll to 13 in the military campaign against Iran. The crash underscores operational risks in heightened regional tensions, impacting troop morale and public support. Investigations into causes and potential policy adjustments are expected soon.

Urgent request to dock is submitted by vessel after US submarine sank Iranian warship in same area on TuesdayMiddle East crisis – live updatesSri Lanka has evacuated 208 crew members from an Iranian navy vessel that made an emergency request to dock, a day after a US submarine strike sank another Iranian frigate, killing more than 80 people on board.Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on Thursday confirmed that the country’s navy would take over Iranian military support ship IRIS Bushehr and allow it to dock at the north-eastern port of Trincomalee. Continue reading...