The Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego tonight, capping a historic 10-day mission that included a lunar flyby.
WATCH LIVE COVERAGE AHEAD OF SPLASHDOWN
NASA is targeting an 8:07 p.m. ET splashdown of the Orion spacecraft, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
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Reentry is considered one of the most challenging phases of the mission. The spacecraft will enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 25,000 mph and endure temperatures reaching roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit before descending into the Pacific Ocean.
A large recovery operation will begin shortly after splashdown. Within about two hours, the crew will be extracted from Orion and flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha. Once aboard, the astronauts will undergo post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and traveling to Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA officials have spent days testing Orion to ensure it is ready for reentry. That includes inspecting heat shield tiles for damage, particularly from small debris in space. Officials said they found no concerning issues and remain confident the splashdown will proceed as planned.
Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1. During the mission, the astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, capturing new views of the moon during their flyby and a striking Earthrise.
Programming note: The Scripps News Group will provide live coverage of the splashdown beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
