The Artemis II crew has already secured their place in history — but the most dangerous part of their mission is still ahead.
More than a week after their April 1 launch, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, have begun their journey home after completing a record‑setting loop behind the Moon.
Their milestone moment came during a seven‑hour lunar flyby that included a tense 40‑minute communications blackout as Orion slipped behind the Moon’s far side.
But even with this major achievement under their belts, focus is now shifting to what many consider the mission’s most perilous stage: the return to Earth.
Artemis II return to Earth Orion is expected to splash down on Friday, April 10, landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET (1:07 a.m. BST). Instead of touching down on land, the crew will descend by parachute into open water, where recovery teams will be waiting, Tyla reports.
To support the operation, the U.S. Navy has deployed the USS John P. Murtha (LPD‑26) to recover both the astronauts and the capsule. A Navy helicopter will track Orion during its high‑speed plunge toward Earth.
According to the BBC, the spacecraft will hit Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 25,000 mph (40,000 km/h) — an extreme environment that cannot be fully recreated in testing.
And the risks are real. During the uncrewed Artemis I mission in December 2022, Orion’s heat shield experienced unexpected charring and cracking during re‑entry. The issue triggered an investigation that pushed Artemis II back by more than a year.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman underscored the gravity of the moment in a post on X: “Before they left, they said they hoped this mission would be forgotten, but it will be remembered as the moment people started to believe that America can once again do the near‑impossible and change the world.
“This mission isn’t over until they’re under safe parachutes, splashing down into the Pacific.”
