The Artemis 2 mission is set to end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, with the US Navy preparing to recover the Orion spacecraft and its four astronauts on Saturday
The Artemis 2’s 10-day mission around the moon is nearing its conclusion, with the team gearing up for their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NASA’s mission marked the first journey to the moon in 54 years, launching on 1 April when four astronauts took off from Cape Canaveral on a 685,000-mile voyage.
The Orion space capsule they are travelling in will venture approximately 4,700 miles beyond the far side of Earth’s natural satellite, setting a new record. Onboard are Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch from NASA, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
Although the Artemis 2 astronauts didn’t touch down on the Moon, the mission lays the groundwork for a future lunar landing within the next few years and has inspired a new generation.
Artemis III will carry out tests in low Earth orbit with lunar landers, currently being developed by companies SpaceX and Blue Origin. Two astronauts will descend to the surface and spend roughly a week near the Moon’s South Pole.
As for Artemis II, the US Navy is getting ready for its landing off the coast of San Diego on Friday 10 April (the early hours of 11 April in the UK).
A NASA statement continued: “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).”
What time is the Artemis 2 landing?
To catch the coverage of the Artemis 2 splashdown, the event will be broadcast live via NASA+, with their programming starting at 11.30pm UK time.
The Artemis mission’s Orion spacecraft is anticipated to commence its descent back into Earth’s atmosphere shortly after 0.50am. During this period, the astronauts will initiate their re-entry protocols as the capsule plunges back towards Earth’s surface.
Orion is predicted to reach temperatures exceeding 1600C as it blazes through Earth’s atmosphere ahead of its projected splashdown at 1.07am UK time.
How to watch Artemis II splashdown live
To catch the coverage of the Artemis 2 splashdown, the event will be broadcast live via NASA+, with their programming commencing at 11.30pm UK time as the mission prepares to touch down shortly after 1am BST.