The Artemis II astronauts have looped around the moon, captured some extraordinary imagery (above), set a slew of records, and are now on their way back to Earth.
The 10-day mission will reach its climax on Friday, April 10, during a dramatic homecoming that will see the Orion spacecraft enter our planet’s atmosphere at a speed of nearly 25,000 miles per hour.
During the moments that follow, Artemis II crew members Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will experience a 16-minute roller coaster ride as their vehicle experiences the mission’s greatest forces yet.
At the end of the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, the spacecraft suffered unexpected heat shield damage during reentry, though the vehicle splashed down in one piece. While engineers have implemented changes to ensure the spacecraft’s structural integrity, those final moments as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere later this week will nevertheless be the most perilous of the entire mission for everyone involved — not least the four crew members.
How to watch
NASA will provide a live stream of the crew’s homecoming on NASA+ and also its YouTube channel. The video player embedded above will also show the same feed.
Below is NASA’s latest schedule for Friday. If the timings change, we’ll update this information just as soon as we can. All times are in Eastern Time.
6:30 p.m.: NASA begins its coverage of the crew’s return.
7:33 p.m.: Orion crew module and service module separate.
7:37 p.m.: The Orion will briefly fire its thrusters in preparation for reentry.
7:53 p.m.: An important moment as Orion first encounters Earth’s atmosphere. The vehicle’s heat shield is designed to protect the spacecraft from temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit — about half as hot as the surface of the sun. Orion will decelerate at a rate up to four times the force of gravity, causing the astronauts to feel four times heavier than they do on Earth.
8:07 p.m.: Following various parachute deployments to slow Orion down, splashdown will occur in the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles off the coast of California, bringing to an end a historic mission that paves the way for a crewed lunar landing as early as 2028.
10 p.m.: A post-splashdown news conference will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.