Artemis II Crew Returns to Earth Friday, April 10 After Moon Orbit

The Artemis II mission is ending after 10 days. The crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 10.
By Newsroom | Space Exploration, Science |

The Artemis II mission is culminating in a dramatic homecoming, with the Orion spacecraft set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 10. The crew module and service module are scheduled to separate at 7:33 p.m., with Orion’s fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, traveling at nearly 25,000 miles per hour, commencing around 7:53 p.m. NASA's official broadcast of the return begins at 6:30 p.m. on its streaming platform, NASA+, and its YouTube channel.

The 10-day mission, which marked humanity's first return to the vicinity of the moon in over 50 years and sent the crew farther into space than any humans in history, is concluding its successful lunar orbit.

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Mission Wrap-Up and Viewing Details

NASA is providing extensive coverage for the Artemis II crew's return. The agency's live broadcast is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10. Viewers can tune into NASA+ or the agency's official YouTube channel for the main event. Some third-party streaming services may also carry the broadcast, though these could incur subscription fees or require equipment purchases.

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Previously, NASA commenced daily news conferences on April 9 at 3:30 p.m. leading up to the return.

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Crew Communication and Mission Scope

In anticipation of their landing, the Artemis II astronauts, including NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, engaged in a media call on April 8. They discussed their experiences, including Earthset and solar eclipse photos captured during their journey.

This mission represents NASA's first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit in over half a century and the first crewed flight around the moon since the Apollo 17 mission.

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Background and Tracking

The Artemis II mission launched on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Throughout the 10-day journey, NASA offered a 'flight tracker' and a real-time orbit website (AROW) to follow the spacecraft's progress. This tracker displayed the crew's distance from Earth and the moon, alongside the total mission duration. The mission's successful orbit around the moon concluded humanity's most extensive journey into space to date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is the Artemis II crew returning to Earth?
The Artemis II crew is returning to Earth on Friday, April 10. The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Q: What time is the Artemis II splashdown on Friday, April 10?
The Orion spacecraft's re-entry into Earth's atmosphere will begin around 7:53 p.m. on Friday, April 10. The crew module and service module will separate earlier at 7:33 p.m.
Q: How can I watch the Artemis II crew's return to Earth?
You can watch the Artemis II crew's return live on NASA+ and the official NASA YouTube channel. The broadcast starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10.
Q: What did the Artemis II astronauts do on their mission?
The Artemis II astronauts completed a 10-day mission that included orbiting the moon. They traveled farther into space than any humans before and captured photos of Earthset and a solar eclipse.
Q: When did the Artemis II mission launch?
The Artemis II mission launched on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was NASA's first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit in over 50 years.