San Diego Air & Space Museum prepares to host a watch party for the historic Artemis II ocean splashdown

The spacecraft is expected to splash down off the San Diego coast on Friday, and the museum is inviting the public to celebrate the historic mission with NASA experts.

Yasmeen Ludy
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The launch of Artemis II has people across the country anxiously waiting for the spacecraft's return from its trip around the moon, especially in San Diego, where it is expected to splash down off the coast.

The pavilion at the San Diego Air & Space Museum is preparing to pack hundreds of people for a watch party on April 10 to witness the historic moment.

"This is the first time humans have returned to the moon since 1972," David Neville said.

Astronauts will not step foot on the moon during the Artemis II mission, but they will travel farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone before. The mission follows Artemis I from 2022, which involved an unmanned spacecraft and a similar watch party at the museum.

"What's really incredible is NASA has been planning for this mission for a very, very long time, and up to this point. Everything's worked perfectly. The space launch system that got them into space in the first place worked perfectly," Neville said.

When the astronauts return, they will splash down right off the San Diego coast.

"They're learning how future missions that go out in Orion space capsules can do what they're doing, do it for a little bit longer, and eventually with the goal of landing on the moon," Neville said.

Doors for the watch party will open around 4 p.m.

"It's supposed to splash down at about 5:09 our time Pacific on Friday. That is subject to change depending on how it goes when they slingshot around the moon," Neville said.

The museum encourages anyone interested in attending to show up early for fun activities. NASA experts will be at the event, along with a nine-foot model of the rocket.

"We're trying to inspire young men and women to look and see, I want to be that person that's up in that space capsule. I want to be the next person to step on the moon," Neville said.

With all of San Diego watching the historical event, the hope is the next astronaut is in the crowd.

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