The Orion capsule is set to complete its journey with a carefully planned splashdown on Friday afternoon and evening. NASA has indicated that the target time for splashdown is approximately 5:07 PM PT (8:07 PM ET; 1:07 AM BST on Saturday), though this timing will be refined as the capsule progresses through key milestones during its descent.
Here is the timeline for the day’s events (all times are in Pacific Time):
- 10:50 AM – Crew finalizes cabin configuration.
- 11:53 AM – Conducts the final return trajectory correction burn.
- 4:33 PM – Orion separates from its service module.
- 4:37 PM – Executes a crew module raise burn to achieve the proper angle for reentry.
- 4:53 PM – Enters the Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of 400,000 feet.
During its reentry, Orion will face temperatures soaring up to 5,000°F (2,760°C) while traveling at speeds of 25,000 mph. The spacecraft will deploy a sequence of 11 parachutes at designated altitudes to decelerate to a gentle 17 mph at the moment of splashdown.
Following splashdown, it may take up to two hours for NASA and U.S. Navy crews to reach the capsule, open the hatch, and assist the astronauts. The astronauts will then be transported via helicopter to a military base in San Diego for medical evaluations before returning to Houston’s Johnson Space Center.
A press conference organized by NASA is scheduled to occur approximately two and a half hours post-splashdown.
The crew of Artemis II has made history by traveling further from Earth than any other humans, reaching a distance of 252,756 miles, exceeding the previous record set by Apollo 13 in April 1970 by over 4,000 miles. Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen remarked from space, “We do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” and emphasized the importance of inspiring future generations to surpass this achievement.
In addition to this remarkable journey, the Artemis II mission set several other milestones. Christina Koch became the first woman to travel to the moon and back, while Hansen, representing the Canadian Space Agency, made history as the first non-American astronaut to achieve this feat. Pilot Victor Glover also became the first person of color to complete a lunar mission.
Prior to the Artemis II crew, only 24 individuals had successfully traveled to the moon and returned, all of whom were white American men from nine Apollo missions conducted between December 1968 and December 1972.
On the eve of their splashdown, the Artemis II crew expressed their commitment to inspiring the next generation and contributing to significant advancements for the benefit of all.
Join us for live updates on the splashdown of the Artemis II crew off the California coast, following their extraordinary 10-day lunar mission. The Orion capsule, which carried three Americans and one Canadian on a journey of 695,000 miles, is scheduled to land at 5:07 PM PT (8:07 PM ET, 1:07 AM BST). I am Richard Luscombe, and I will provide updates on the countdown to Orion’s reentry, its Pacific splashdown, and the opening of the hatch, allowing the crew to breathe fresh air for the first time since their launch from Florida on April 1.
