Artemis II: Crew Returns Home

Credit: NASA

As the Artemis II mission approaches Earth, NASA ground teams are completing final preparations for Orion’s reentry and splashdown, planned for approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PT) on Friday, April 10, off the coast of San Diego.

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As Orion descends from an altitude of about 400,000 feet during its return to Earth, the spacecraft is expected to enter a planned six-minute communications blackout at 7:53 p.m. EDT due to plasma forming around the capsule during peak heating. The crew is expected to experience forces of up to 3.9 G under the standard reentry profile.

Ground track map displaying the Artemis II Orion parachute sequence. This graphic was presented by Artemis II Flight Director Rick Henfling during the mission status briefing to the media and public on April 8, 2026 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Credit: NASA

After exiting blackout, Orion is expected to jettison the forward bay cover, deploy drogue parachutes at around 22,000 feet at about 8:03 p.m. EDT, and then deploy three main parachutes at approximately 6,000 feet at around 8:04 p.m. EDT, helping slow the capsule for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Within about two hours after splashdown, the crew will be evacuated from the Orion spacecraft and taken to the USS John P. Murtha. Recovery teams will pick them up by helicopter, and once on board, the astronauts will undergo post-mission medical checks before returning to shore and boarding a flight to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Let’s follow how the return and landing unfold together 🌎