Artemis II Crew Returns to Earth After Historic Moon Mission
The four astronauts of the Artemis II mission are returning to Earth after the first crewed journey to the Moon in more than half a century. Their Orion spacecraft is set to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
The final phase of the 10-day mission involves the separation of the crew capsule from the service module, followed by atmospheric re-entry and around six minutes of communication blackout before splashdown under parachutes. Recovery teams are then expected to secure the capsule and assist the crew.
On board are US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew launched from Florida on 1 April and travelled around the far side of the Moon, reaching a greater distance from Earth than any previous human mission.
The mission follows the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022 and marks a significant step towards NASA’s planned return of humans to the Moon.
During re-entry, the Orion capsule’s heat shield will be tested under extreme conditions, entering the atmosphere at speeds of around 40,000 km per hour and enduring temperatures of approximately 2,760C.