Once the Orion capsule safely splashes down in the Pacific, the mission transitions from a high-speed flight to a complex maritime recovery.
Even though the flying is over, the work for the crew and the USS John P. Murtha is just beginning. Here is the play-by-play for the astronauts' first hours back on Earth:
Securing the capsule
First, the capsule will deploy an uprighting system—five bright orange airbags that ensure Orion floats heat-shield-down in the waves. Once the craft is stable, Navy divers in small inflatable boats will approach to inspect the exterior and install a sea anchor to keep the capsule from drifting.
The crew extraction
Safety is the priority. NASA and the Navy use an open water recovery method:
- The hatch: Divers will open the side hatch while the capsule is still in the water.
- The helicopter: One by one, the four astronauts will be assisted into a rescue basket and hoisted into an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter.
- The ship: The helicopter will fly them directly to the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha for their first medical check-ups in Earth's gravity.
Bringing Orion Home
While the crew is being cared for, the ship will perform a well deck recovery. The back of the USS John P. Murtha will be flooded, allowing the ship to submerge its floor. The Orion capsule is then towed into the back of the ship, the water is drained, and the spacecraft is secured on a specialized cradle for the journey back to San Diego.
As the Orion spacecraft prepares to slam into Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000 mph tonight, all eyes are on the 16.5-foot-wide protective heat shield.
While the capsule’s exterior will face staggering temperatures of up to 5,000°F (and as high as 7,000°F at the surface), NASA officials have expressed full confidence that the shield will keep the crew of four safe during their white-knuckle descent.
This confidence comes after an extensive investigation following the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022. During that flight, the heat shield experienced "unexpected char loss," where chunks of the protective material—a substance called Avcoat—cracked and shed unevenly.
Engineers discovered that the issue was actually caused by the mission being too successful; the heating rates during re-entry were less severe than predicted, which caused gases to build up inside the Avcoat rather than venting out. This internal pressure led to the surface cracking seen on the first mission.
To ensure the safety of the Artemis II crew, NASA teams removed and analyzed over 200 samples of the material and ran exhaustive simulations to replicate the environment.
They found that while the charred layer shed unexpectedly in 2022, the underlying material remained intact and protected the structure perfectly.
For today’s mission, NASA has refined its understanding of how the Avcoat behaves during the skip re-entry maneuver. Because the shield is an ablator—meaning it is designed to burn off and carry heat away from the craft—some charring is expected.
However, thanks to the years of rigorous testing following Artemis I, Mission Control is ready for a smooth, safe ride through the wall of fire and into the Pacific.
The return to Earth is a choreographed sequence of high-stakes events where precision is everything. As Orion approaches the atmosphere, the spacecraft must transition from a deep-space cruiser to a high-speed glider and, finally, a gentle boat.
The drama begins at 7:33 p.m. ET with "service module separation." The crew capsule will detach from the European Service Module, which has provided power and propulsion throughout the mission.
Once separated, the Crew Module—carrying Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—will use its own small thrusters to orient its heat shield toward Earth.
At 7:53 p.m. ET, the craft hits "entry interface" at 25,000 mph, beginning a "skip re-entry" that uses the atmosphere to bleed off speed like a stone skipping across water.
During this phase, temperatures outside the capsule will soar to a staggering 5,000°F.
The descent by the numbers:
- Parachute deployment: Around 22,000 feet, two drogue parachutes will fire to stabilize the craft.
- The main event: At 6,000 feet, three massive main parachutes—each the size of a football field—will unfurl to slow Orion to a manageable 20 mph.
- Splashdown: Targeted for 8:07 p.m. ET, the capsule will hit the Pacific waves, where it will remain powered on until recovery teams from the USS John P. Murtha arrive to extract the crew.
{{#rendered}}As the Orion spacecraft slices into Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 25,000 mph tonight, Southern California residents should keep an ear out for a potential sonic boom.
This cosmic thunder occurs when the capsule travels faster than the speed of sound—in this case, roughly Mach 32—creating a powerful shockwave.
While Orion’s path is largely offshore, the resulting thunder-like crack may be audible along the San Diego coast between 5:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. local time.
Whether you hear a window-rattling thud or a faint rumble depends on atmospheric conditions like temperature and wind, which can bend or muffle the sound.
Because these events are so rare, the U.S. Geological Survey is interested in mapping how the sound travels from such a high altitude.
If you do catch the sound of history coming home, you can contribute to the science by reporting your experience to the USGS "Did You Feel It?" survey.
As the Artemis II crew nears splashdown tonight, they are returning to Earth as history-makers. During their journey around the Moon, the crew reached a maximum distance of approximately 252,756 miles from Earth—setting a new record for the farthest humans have ever traveled into deep space.
This milestone officially surpasses the long-standing record held by the legendary Apollo 13 mission in 1970, which reached 248,655 miles.
While Apollo 13’s distance was the result of a modified flight path following an onboard emergency, the Artemis II trajectory was specifically designed to push the Orion spacecraft further out into the lunar far side than any human-rated vehicle in history.
Why the extra distance matters:
Traveling this deep into space isn't just about the numbers; it allowed NASA to test Orion's communication and life-support systems in a true high-radiation, deep-space environment.
By successfully navigating more than 4,000 miles further than any previous crew, Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen have paved the way for even longer-duration missions to the lunar South Pole with Artemis III and eventually toward Mars.
It's been 20 years since Pluto was declassified as the ninth planet in our solar system, and many people wish it had never lost its status.
A recent comment from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman alludes to the possibility of NASA looking into making Pluto a planet once again.
On Thursday afternoon, Isaacman replied to a post by Mike's Weather Page on X , of a letter from 10-year-old Kaela writing to NASA to tell them how much she loves Pluto and asking them to make it a planet again.
She went on to explain the reasons why Pluto should be a planet and let NASA know her knowledge of Pluto.
Isaacman replied to the post saying, "Kaela — We are looking into this."
{{#rendered}}Inside Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, teams are laser-focused on Orion’s telemetry as the spacecraft barrels toward Earth at nearly 25,000 mph.
Flight controllers are meticulously tracking every mile of the 685,000-mile journey’s final leg, ensuring the capsule’s trajectory remains perfectly aligned for tonight's high-speed encounter with the atmosphere.
While the astronauts finish their final rest period, the ground team is working through the "Go/No-Go" checklists for the afternoon’s trajectory correction burn.
Every sensor reading is being scrutinized to confirm that all systems—from propulsion to life support—are ready for the 5,000°F heat and intense g-forces of re-entry.
As of early this morning, the Pacific Ocean is cooperating beautifully for Orion’s return. Current marine observations off the coast of San Diego show favorable conditions, with seas holding steady at a manageable 3 feet—well below NASA’s 6-foot safety limit for recovery operations.
Winds are also remaining light, clocked at less than 10 knots, which is ideal for the U.S. Navy and NASA teams as they stage the USS John P. Murtha in the primary splashdown zone.
While meteorologists are keeping a close watch on a Pacific storm system that could bring a slight chance of showers or increased swells by late tonight, the 8:07 p.m. ET window looks clear for a safe and smooth arrival.
While the world watches the countdown to splashdown, the Artemis II crew is currently getting some much-needed rest. Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are in their final scheduled sleep period of the mission, resting ahead of an intense day that culminates in tonight's Pacific recovery.
Mission Control in Houston is keeping things quiet on the comms to ensure the crew is fully recharged for the physical demands of re-entry.
Once they wake up at 11:35 a.m. ET, they will immediately begin their de-orbit prep, which includes consuming high-protein meals and performing fluid loading to help their bodies adjust to the return of Earth's gravity after 10 days in weightlessness.
{{#rendered}}The USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is the centerpiece of tonight’s recovery operations, serving as the mobile command hub for the Artemis II homecoming.
A San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock based in San Diego, the ship is uniquely equipped for this mission with a well deck—a large internal docking area that can be flooded to allow the Orion capsule to be floated directly into the ship's belly.
Onboard, a specialized team of Navy divers and NASA engineers has spent years drilling for this moment.
Once splashdown occurs, MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters will launch from the Murtha’s flight deck to track the capsule, while a dedicated dive medical team will be the first to reach the astronauts, providing initial health assessments before the crew is airlifted back to the ship’s advanced medical facilities.
The stage is set for a historic evening. After 10 days in space and a journey of more than 600,000 miles, the Artemis II crew is entering the final, most critical phases of their mission.
Following their wake-up call later this morning, Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew will be busy with stowage management—securing loose gear and configuring the cabin for the intense forces of re-entry.
Here is the play-by-play for the rest of today’s flight plan as Orion targets a splashdown off the coast of San Diego.
1:53 p.m. ET | Final trajectory correction: The crew will execute their third and final return trajectory correction burn. This brief thruster firing ensures Orion hits the Earth's atmosphere at the precise angle required for a safe descent.
7:33 p.m. ET | Service module separation: About 34 minutes before splashdown, the Orion Crew Module will officially part ways with the European Service Module. From this point on, the astronauts are flying in the capsule alone.
7:53 p.m. ET | Entry interface: Orion hits the upper atmosphere at roughly 25,000 mph. This begins the blackout period, where the intense heat of re-entry creates a sheath of plasma around the capsule, temporarily cutting off all radio communication with mission control.
8:03 p.m. ET | Parachute deployment: Once the craft has slowed sufficiently, two drogue parachutes will deploy at 22,000 feet to stabilize the capsule, followed quickly by the three massive main parachutes at 6,000 feet.
8:07 p.m. ET | Splashdown: Orion is scheduled to hit the Pacific waves at a gentle 17–20 mph.
The Artemis II crew is officially on the home stretch. NASA confirmed that at 10:53 p.m. ET last night, the Orion spacecraft successfully executed a nine-second thruster ignition.
This maneuver added a crucial 5.3 feet-per-second to its velocity, refining the path toward Earth and putting the crew more than halfway back from the Moon.
The lead-up to the burn wasn't without a bit of tension. About two hours before the thrusters fired, flight controllers experienced an unexpected loss of signal while attempting to change data rates. This temporarily cut off telemetry and communication between Orion and Mission Control.
Fortunately, the team re-established two-way communications quickly, allowing the crew—Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—to proceed with the burn as planned.
{{#rendered}}While the Orion capsule is built to withstand the vacuum of space and the intense heat of re-entry, the final few miles are all about the weather.
NASA’s Recovery Director has the final "Go/No-Go" authority based on real-time data from the USS John P. Murtha, which is currently stationed in the recovery zone.
The criteria aren't just for the capsule's safety—they are primarily to ensure that Navy divers and recovery boats can safely reach the crew.
The "No-Go" thresholds
To proceed with a splashdown in the primary target zone off San Diego, the following conditions must be met:
- Wind speed: Sustained winds must be under 25 knots (approx. 29 mph). High winds can cause the capsule to drift significantly during its parachute descent or flip the capsule over once it hits the water.
- Wave height: Significant wave height must be 6 feet or less. If the swells are too high, it becomes dangerous for the small inflatable boats (CRRCs) to pull alongside the capsule to assist the astronauts.
- Lightning & rain: There can be no precipitation or lightning within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the splashdown site. Thunderstorms create unpredictable wind gusts and electrical hazards for the recovery teams.
- Visibility & clouds: Recovery teams need a minimum visibility of at least 3 miles and a cloud ceiling of no less than 1,000 feet. This ensures that the recovery helicopters can maintain a visual on the capsule from the moment the parachutes deploy.
It is a momentous day for space exploration as we track the final hours of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
After launching ten days ago on April 1, the four-person crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—is officially on the "homeward bound" leg of their journey.
The mission has been a spectacular success so far, highlighted by a breathtaking lunar flyby on April 6. While rounding the far side of the Moon, the crew not only captured high-definition views of the lunar surface but also experienced a rare, perspective-shifting view of a total solar eclipse from deep space. In a moving tribute during their transit, the crew also honored the memory of Commander Wiseman's late wife, Carroll, by naming a lunar crater in her honor.
The final descent: All eyes are now on the Pacific Ocean.
The Orion spacecraft is currently barreling toward Earth at speeds approaching 25,000 mph. If conditions remain favorable, splashdown is scheduled for approximately 8:07 p.m. ET tonight off the coast of San Diego.
FOX Weather is closely monitoring the recovery zone. Current forecasts show favorable sea states and visibility for the U.S. Navy and NASA recovery teams.
Stay with us throughout the day as we provide live updates on the weather and Orion’s path back to Earth.
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