NASA astronaut Christina Koch just made history by flying around the moon.
But the moment that’s melting hearts across the country happened right at her home’s front door.
Koch, 47, who became the first woman to travel beyond Earth’s orbit during NASA’s successful Artemis II mission, returned home to Texas this week — and her dog Sadie was ready.
The New York Post shared the viral video, which has now racked up millions of views, showing Sadie spotting Koch through the front door window before she even steps inside. The dog’s tail goes into overdrive. She barks and paws at the door.
The moment Koch opens the door, Sadie melted America’s heart with her loving greeting.
“I’m still pretty sure I was the happier side of this reunion,” Koch said. “Sadie taught me everything I needed to know about being an emotional support animal. Didn’t expect that would come in handy.”
Take a look –
This is the heartwarming moment astronaut Christina Koch was welcomed home by her dog, Sadie, following her trip on Artemis II around the moon. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3pZLiGYQsm
— New York Post (@nypost) April 13, 2026
The Artemis II mission launched April 1 and splashed down successfully in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on April 10. The crew — Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — traveled nearly 700,000 miles and went over 250,000 miles from Earth.
That surpassed the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, making them the humans who have traveled farthest from Earth in history.
The mandatory 14-day pre-launch quarantine meant Sadie and Koch had been apart for nearly a month by the time that door swung open.
Sadie simply couldn’t wait any longer.