Space & Science — 2026-04-10

Artemis II Crew Prepares for Splashdown After Historic Lunar Flyby

The four-person Artemis II crew, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, is set to splash down in the Pacific off San Diego at approximately 8:07 PM ET, completing the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. On April 6, the crew set a new distance record at 248,655 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13. Reentry at 24,000 mph will test the Orion capsule's heat shield at temperatures reaching 5,000°F.

Analysis
The heat shield test at reentry is the mission's real validation point: Orion's heat shield had known manufacturing anomalies that delayed the mission. Success today proves crewed deep-space return capability; failure would ground the Artemis program and cede the crewed lunar timeline to China's planned 2030 landing.

3 sources

What time is NASA's Artemis 2 splashdown today? - Space.com
Artemis II splashdown: When it lands, risks and how to watch live - Al Jazeera
Artemis II splashdown LIVE: Crew make final preparations - Live Science