The nation looked toward Florida on April 1, 2026, as NASA launched its Space Launch System rocket Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center, sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey orbiting the moon.
The most important leg of the historic moon mission was complete after the four astronauts spent hours on Monday, April 6, making observations of the moon’s far side, which is permanently faced away from Earth.
The close approach around the moon, known as a lunar flyby, was a trailblazing moment in spaceflight, taking astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover of NASA, as well as Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, the farthest any human has been from Earth.
Now, the Artemis II astronauts are on their way home and preparing for a water landing off the coast of California tonight, leaving the moon in their rearview mirror after becoming the first humans in more than 50 years to travel near Earth’s celestial neighbor.
Here’s where and when the Artemis II astronauts are expected to splash down tonight, Friday, April 10, and 10 of the most stunning photos from the historic mission.
Where is Artemis II landing?
Once the Orion capsule blazes through Earth’s atmosphere, a protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down for a water landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. Splashdown is expected tonight, Friday, April 10.
After the landing, the crew will exit the vehicle onto a U.S. Navy recovery vessel within about two hours.
When does Artemis II come back? Countdown clock to Artemis astronauts’ return
The Artemis II astronauts’ Orion capsule is scheduled to splash down at about 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.
“Following splashdown, recovery teams will retrieve the crew members using helicopters and deliver them to the USS John P. Murtha. Once aboard, the astronauts will undergo post-flight medical evaluations in the ship’s medical bay before traveling back to shore to meet with an aircraft bound for NASA Johnson (Space Center),” a NASA press release said.
Watch Artemis II splashdown livestream
See Artemis II photos of the moon, Earth
What does a NASA or SpaceX splashdown look like in the sky?
It’s pretty common for those on Florida’s Space Coast (Cocoa Beach, Melbourne), the Fun Coast (Daytona Beach area) and the Treasure Coast (from Vero Beach to Fort Pierce) to watch a rocket launch or two every week. Millions watched Artemis II launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
Rocket launch photos are very common, but it’s a little harder to find photos of a NASA or SpaceX splashdown on social media. But depending on weather and cloud cover, it’s possible. And sometimes, the space-related splashdown is seen far beyond where the capsule lands.
Some examples of splashdown sightings include:
Watch some rocket launches with NASA+ on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch on NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Where is Artemis II landing? What to know about splashdown tonight
Reporting by Lianna Norman, Jennifer Sangalang, Eric Lagatta and Rick Neale, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
