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Fiery Return: Orion's Riskiest Descent Begins
11 Apr
Summary
- Orion spacecraft faces its most dangerous moment during re-entry.
- Astronauts will experience plasma temperatures near the sun's surface.
- Splashdown is scheduled for 10.07am in the Pacific Ocean.
The Artemis II mission is reaching its climax with the highly dangerous re-entry of the Orion spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere. This phase is considered the riskiest part of the 10-day journey.
The four-person crew, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, will encounter extreme conditions as they hit the atmosphere at approximately 40,000 km/h. They will be enveloped in plasma approximately half as hot as the sun's surface.
The re-entry process involves several critical, timed events. The module containing the astronauts will separate from the spacecraft's surface module in the upper atmosphere. A final thruster burn will adjust the crew module's trajectory before it enters the Earth's upper atmosphere, initiating a planned radio blackout due to the scorching plasma.
As Orion descends, parachutes will be deployed, starting with smaller ones at 6700 metres, followed by three main parachutes at 1829 metres. The mission is expected to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 10.07am. This landing signifies the end of humanity's first return to the Moon in 53 years.
