Artemis II is returning to Earth after a historic 10-day journey in space.
The voyage concludes Friday, April 10, after four astronauts on the Orion spacecraft completed their mission of circling the moon and traveling further than any human in history. Now, the crew will make their reentry into Earth’s atmosphere — the spacecraft will be moving at speeds up to 25,000 miles per hour, building up heat of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more, according to USA TODAY.
The Artemis II mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at on April 1, carrying the four astronauts away from the Earth and towards the moon on a spacecraft called Orion. While the astronauts did not land on the moon during the 10-day flight, the mission is a key step toward returning humans to the lunar surface as early as 2028 under NASA’s multibillion-dollar Artemis program.
Here’s what to know about Artemis II returning to earth.
When is splashdown for Artemis 2?
The Orion capsule, which the crew has named “Integrity” is scheduled to make a water landing at approximately 6:07 p.m. MT/ 7:07 p.m. CT on Friday, April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
The USS John P. Murtha, an amphibious transport dock ship, will recover astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, at sea.
How long has Artemis 2 been in space?
Artemis 2 launched into space April 1 and has completed its mission of the lunar flyby, in addition to venturing further into space than any human in history. The return to Earth marks 10 days in space for the crew of four astronauts.
What time does Artemis land?
The water landing at approximately 6:07 p.m. MT/ 7:07 p.m. CT in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
To start reentry, the capsule will begin maneuvering 75 miles above the Earth for its final descent back to the surface. Here are the basic steps for a safe return, as reported by USA TODAY:
How to watch Artemis 2 splashdown live
NASA has a live stream providing continuous coverage of the Artemis II mission.
The stream includes commentary in real-time.
A separate stream of the splashdown will start at 6:30 p.m. April 10 on NASA’s YouTube channel.
NASA Artemis II astronauts
The crew of four includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission specialist Christina Koch of NASA, and Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis 2 tracker map live
You can track Artemis 2 as the mission returns to Earth using NASA’s trackers found below:
When does Artemis return to earth?
Artemis returns on Friday, April 10 after a 10-day voyage towards the moon and back.
Artemis II lunar flyby images
See the images of the Artemis II mission’s lunar flyby on April 6 below:
Where will Artemis splash down?
The Orion capsule is scheduled to make a water landing at approximately 8:07 p.m. ET in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on x; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What time is splashdown for Artemis 2? When Artemis returns to Earth
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
