Artemis II Crew Returns to Earth with Pacific Ocean Splashdown After Historic Moon Mission

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

NASA's Artemis II mission has reached its conclusion as the four-member crew prepared to return to Earth following a historic 10-day journey around the Moon. The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, marking a critical milestone in NASA's deep space exploration program. The splashdown is planned for April 11, 2026, at 00:07 UTC (5:07 p.m. PDT on April 10), with the U.S. Navy responsible for crew recovery.

The recovery operation involves the USS John P. Murtha, which departed from Naval Base San Diego for the recovery site, along with a fleet of military aircraft and helicopters standing by to assist. Mission Control has reported positive status ahead of the reentry, which represents the most dangerous phase of the mission. The Orion spacecraft will reach approximately 23,864 miles per hour just before entry interface, enduring extreme temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during atmospheric reentry.

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