Artemis II splashdown: Orion capsule scheduled to land off California coast at just after 5pm local time – live updates | Nasa
What to expect when Artemis II comes home
The landing of the Orion capsule will follow a precise schedule during the afternoon and evening of Friday.
NASA indicates that the planned landing time of 5:07 p.m. (Pacific Time) (8:07 p.m. ET; 1:07 a.m. Saturday BST) is approximate and will harden as the capsule passes certain stages during its descent.
Here’s what the day looks like right now (all times Pacific):
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8:35 a.m. The crew wakes up
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10:50 a.m. Crew completes preparation of cabin layout
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11:53 a.m. Final return trajectory correction burn
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4:33 p.m. Orion separates from the service module
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4:37 p.m. Crew module raises fire to place spacecraft at correct angle for re-entry
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4:53 p.m. Earth’s atmosphere entry interface at 400,000 feet
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5:07 p.m. Landing
Orion will be exposed to heat of up to 5,000 F (2,760 C) during reentry at 25,000 mph. A set of 11 parachutes will deploy in sequence at set altitudes after re-entry, slowing the spacecraft to 17 mph during splashdown.
After landing, NASA and US Navy crews could take up to two hours to reach the capsule, open the hatch and free the astronauts. NASA plans to take them by helicopter to a military base in San Diego for medical checks, then return them to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA plans a post-landing press conference approximately two and a half hours after splashdown.
Key events
Artemis II record breakers
The crew of Artemis II traveled further from Earth than any humans before them, reaching 252,756 milesmore than 4,000 more than the previous record set by the Apollo 13 crew in April 1970.
“We do this in tribute to the extraordinary efforts and achievements of our predecessors in human space exploration,” mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said from space.
“Above all, we are choosing this moment to challenge this generation and the next to ensure that this record does not last long.”
This wasn’t the only record set during their 10-day lunar flyby. Christine Koch became the only woman to travel to the moon and back. Hansen, of the Canadian Space Agency, became the first non-American. Victor Gloverthe pilot of Artemis II, became the first person of color to do so.
Before the four Artemis II astronauts, only 24 humans made the trip and returned safely. All were white Americans on nine manned Apollo missions between December 1968 and December 1972.
On the eve of splashdown day, the Artemis II crew spoke about inspiring the next generation and “working on something big for the good of all.”
You can find their comments here:
What to expect when Artemis II comes home
The landing of the Orion capsule will follow a precise schedule during the afternoon and evening of Friday.
NASA indicates that the planned landing time of 5:07 p.m. (Pacific Time) (8:07 p.m. ET; 1:07 a.m. Saturday BST) is approximate and will harden as the capsule passes certain stages during its descent.
Here’s what the day looks like right now (all times Pacific):
-
8:35 a.m. The crew wakes up
-
10:50 a.m. Crew completes preparation of cabin layout
-
11:53 a.m. Final return trajectory correction burn
-
4:33 p.m. Orion separates from the service module
-
4:37 p.m. Crew module raises fire to place spacecraft at correct angle for re-entry
-
4:53 p.m. Earth’s atmosphere entry interface at 400,000 feet
-
5:07 p.m. Landing
Orion will be exposed to heat of up to 5,000 F (2,760 C) during reentry at 25,000 mph. A set of 11 parachutes will deploy in sequence at set altitudes after re-entry, slowing the spacecraft to 17 mph during splashdown.
After landing, NASA and US Navy crews could take up to two hours to reach the capsule, open the hatch and free the astronauts. NASA plans to take them by helicopter to a military base in San Diego for medical checks, then return them to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA plans a post-landing press conference approximately two and a half hours after splashdown.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Artemis II crew landing off the coast of California after their fascinating 10-day mission to fly around the moon.
The Orion capsule that carried four astronauts, three Americans and a Canadian, during their 695,000-mile lunar adventure, is expected to land at 5:07 p.m. (Pacific Time) (8:07 p.m. ET, 1:07 a.m. Saturday BST).
I am Richard Luscombeand I’ll take you through the developments as they happen, from preparations for Orion’s fiery re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, to its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean and the opening of the hatches that will give the crew its first breaths of fresh air since before its launch from Florida on April 1st.
