Home / Science / Historic Artemis II Crew Splashes Down in Pacific
Historic Artemis II Crew Splashes Down in Pacific
10 Apr
Summary
- Artemis II crew returns after 10 days and a trip around the far side of the moon.
- Splashdown scheduled for Friday at approximately 8:07 p.m. Eastern time.
- Crew will be recovered by NASA and U.S. Navy teams.
The Artemis II mission's four astronauts are preparing for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, concluding a 10-day voyage that ventured farther into space than any previous crewed mission. Their Orion spacecraft will return them to Earth after completing a journey around the far side of the moon, marking a significant milestone for deep space exploration and future lunar landings.
The crew, consisting of NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, launched on April 1. During their mission, they traveled over 695,000 miles, observed unseen parts of the lunar surface, and tested new spacecraft technology, including emergency breathing systems in their advanced spacesuits.
Splashdown is anticipated around 8:07 p.m. Eastern time. The Orion capsule will undergo a fiery re-entry, protected by its heat shield, before deploying parachutes to slow its descent. Following splashdown, recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy will ensure the crew's safe retrieval and transport to the U.S.S. John P. Murtha for initial medical evaluations before their return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
