The Artemis 2 mission, which has been on a 10-day journey around the moon, is nearing its conclusion as the crew prepares for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Launched from Cape Canaveral on April 1, this mission marks NASA’s first lunar expedition in 54 years, covering a distance of 685,000 miles. The Orion spacecraft carrying the astronauts will travel approximately 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the moon, setting a new record for lunar missions.
The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, along with NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. Although the Artemis 2 team will not land on the moon, their mission lays the groundwork for future lunar landings and aims to inspire a new generation of explorers.
Following Artemis 2, the upcoming Artemis 3 mission will test lunar landers currently being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin in low Earth orbit. Artemis 3 is set to evaluate these landers, while Artemis 4, planned for no earlier than 2028, will focus on a crewed lunar expedition.
As the crew approaches the end of their mission, they captured one last photograph of the moon before resting on flight day five, showcasing the view from the Orion spacecraft.
The U.S. Navy is preparing for the landing, which is scheduled to take place off the coast of San Diego on April 10, with the early hours of April 11 in the UK.
A NASA statement indicated, „Following splashdown, recovery teams will retrieve the crew members using helicopters and deliver them to the USS John P. Murtha. Once aboard, the astronauts will undergo post-flight medical evaluations in the ship’s medical bay before traveling back to shore to meet with an aircraft bound for NASA Johnson Space Center.“
What time is the Artemis 2 landing?
Live coverage of the Artemis 2 splashdown will be available on NASA+, with the broadcast starting at 11:30 PM UK time. The Orion capsule is expected to begin its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere shortly after 12:50 AM, at which point the crew will initiate their re-entry procedures as the spacecraft descends toward the planet.
During its descent, the Orion capsule will face temperatures exceeding 1600°C, with the splashdown anticipated at 1:07 AM UK time.
How to watch Artemis II splashdown live:
- Viewers can watch the Artemis 2 splashdown via NASA+’s live stream, starting at 11:30 PM UK time, leading up to the expected splashdown just after 1 AM BST.
Bildquelle: ai-generated-gemini
