When will Artemis II splashdown? What to expect as NASA mission ends
As the Artemis II mission comes to a close, here's what to expect for the splashdown off the California coast.
Eric Lagatta- The Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years, is preparing to conclude its journey.
- The crew made history with the first woman, Black man, and Canadian to fly near the moon.
- The Orion spacecraft is scheduled for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 10.
- Upon reentry, the capsule will endure temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit before landing.
An era-defining spaceflight is about to come to an end as the Artemis II astronauts get closer and closer to Earth following a trailblazing moon mission.
For the past nine days, the world has watched as the first humans in more than 50 years launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and then began a journey toward our celestial neighbor.
On Monday, April 6, the Orion spacecraft brought the Artemis II crew under the command of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled. The astronauts then swung by the moon while being treated to sights of its far side that no human has ever laid eyes upon.
Along the way, Wiseman's crewmates made history: NASA astronaut Christina Koch became the first woman, and NASA's Victor Glover the first Black man, to venture near the moon's vicinity. Their counterpart from the Canadian Space Agency, Jeremy Hansen, also became the first person from Canada to go near the moon.
After paving the way for a potential moon landing in 2028, the mission – one for the history books – is now due to reach its conclusion.
Come Friday, April 10, the Orion vehicle carrying the astronauts will zoom back into Earth's atmosphere before deploying parachutes to make a water landing in the Pacific Ocean near California. Amid their journey back to Earth, which NASA billed as a fuel-efficient return harnessing the Earth-moon gravity field to pull Orion back home, the crew has tested out their gear while conducting manual piloting demonstrations of the vehicle.
As the Artemis II mission comes to a close, here's what to expect for the splashdown.
When is the Artemis II splashdown?
The Orion capsule is due Friday, April 10, to reenter Earth's atmosphere to make a water landing around 8:07 p.m. ET in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California.
During their last full day in space, the Artemis II astronauts are due to spend Thursday, April 9, working with flight control teams back on Earth to review landing procedures and prepare the Orion vehicle for reentering Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA.
How will Orion's reentry into Earth's atmosphere go?
The astronauts are in the midst of a four-day journey back to Earth, using our planet's gravity to naturally "slingshot," or pull Orion back home, negating the need for propulsion or much fuel. As on the journey to the moon, Orion's service module has the ability to fire, or burn, its engine up to three times to refine the trajectory and ensure the crew is set up for a safe splashdown.
The last of those engine firings is due to take place Friday, April 10, about five hours before the final push through Earth's atmosphere begins. After that, the crew members would don their protective entry suits.
A component of those suits, known as the Orion Crew Survival System suit, is a garment designed to help astronauts maintain blood pressure and circulation during the transition back to Earth’s gravity. By applying lower‑body compression, the garment helps counteract a common condition called orthostatic intolerance that causes astronauts to faint or feel dizzy following an extended mission in microgravity.
Artemis II astronauts to endure 3,000-degrees Fahrenheit conditions
Having propelled the astronauts back to Earth's neighborhood, the Orion capsule's service module – responsible for propelling and maneuvering the vehicle through space – will separate and burn up in Earth's upper atmosphere.
Taking place about 42 minutes before the landing southeast of Hawaii, the maneuver will set the stage for a leg of the journey that NASA refers to as the "entry interface."
With the service module gone, the heat shield will be exposed on the section of the Orion spacecraft where the astronauts are located, known as the crew module. That piece of equipment will protect the astronauts from the 3,000-degree Fahrenheit conditions the vehicle will endure when it whizzes through Earth's upper atmosphere.
Orion will first begin to feel the influence of Earth's atmosphere while about 76 miles above the surface. Within a matter of seconds, superheated charged particles known as plasma will build up around the spacecraft, which could temporarily block communications between the crew and mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Orion to make parachute-assisted landing near California
Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, the protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.
First, two smaller drogue parachutes that are 23 feet in diameter will unfurl at an altitude of 22,000 feet to slow the capsule from about 25,000 mph to 307 mph, according to NASA. Next, three small 11-foot-wide auxiliary parachutes, known as pilot chutes, will be used at about 9,500 feet to ultimately make way for the release of the final three main parachutes at 6,000 feet.
Those giant 116-foot-wide main parachutes are to slow Orion from about 130 mph to just 17 mph before the spacecraft lands in the Pacific Ocean.
When will Artemis II astronauts exit spacecraft in Pacific Ocean?
After splashdown, five orange airbags will inflate around the top of the Orion spacecraft and flip the capsule into an upright position. The crew is likely to then exit the vehicle within two hours and be airlifted onto a U.S. Navy recovery vessel.
The recovery process involves Navy divers attaching devices between the spacecraft and the vessel to allow teams to tow Orion toward the ship and secure it for its trip to shore.
From there, the astronauts will undergo medical evaluations aboard the USS John P. Murtha before returning to shore to board an aircraft bound for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
This article has been updated with new information.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]