Artemis II Returns: Orion Capsule Heads for Pacific Splashdown

Artemis II's Orion capsule performed a final return trajectory correction burn lasting eight seconds and is scheduled to splash down off San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET on April 10, 2026.

The reentry will subject the capsule to about 24,000 to 25,000 mph and temperatures around 5,000 degrees, putting a heat shield altered after Artemis I damage to a critical test, NASA officials said.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will be aboard the USS John P. Murtha for recovery, Navy teams with four helicopters and six small boats will retrieve the crew, and former astronaut Charles Camarda urged caution about reusing the heat shield.

The four-person crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — reached a record 252,756 miles from Earth during the nine- to 10-day mission, surpassing Apollo 13's record by more than 4,000 miles.

The crew module will separate from the service module at 7:33 p.m. ET, the capsule will undergo a roughly six-minute communications blackout during reentry, and parachutes will slow Orion for hoisting and medical checks aboard the USS John P. Murtha.