Following a rapid re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to land in the Pacific Ocean close to San Diego.
Following a rapid re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to land in the Pacific Ocean close to San Diego.
The Orion capsule, with Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard, is anticipated to return to Earth following a nine-day mission that set a record for the greatest distance humans have achieved from our planet.
After performing a high-speed re-entry into the atmosphere, the capsule is anticipated to touch down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at around 5:07 PM PT / 8:07 PM ET. Navy recovery teams will take the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations before they are flown back to land.
Re-entry is without a doubt the most perilous phase of space travel, particularly for Artemis II due to the Orion capsule’s heat shield. The vital layer that safeguards astronauts from extreme heat has a recognized design flaw, having experienced unexpected damage during the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.
The splashdown will be streamed live on NASA’s official YouTube channel. All leading news networks, Netflix, and various others will air the landing starting at 6:30 PM ET.
