How to watch NASA’s Artemis II splashdown after historic moon mission

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:33:00 +0200

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, is about to end with a dramatic splashdown back on Earth. The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — will return to Earth on Friday after 10 days of pioneering space exploration. The crew’s journey took them to the far side of the moon, reaching a distance of 252,760 miles from Earth. The mission aimed to test the spacecraft’s performance and ensure it’s ready for future lunar landings. The splashdown, scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET off the coast of San Diego, will be a critical moment, as the heat shield of the spacecraft is key to safely re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Despite challenges on the mission, such as technical mishaps with the spacecraft’s office software and toilet, the astronauts’ journey produced stunning images from the moon, including new crater names and a once-in-a-lifetime view of a solar eclipse. NASA’s live stream of the