After reaching speeds of 10,657 meters per second, Artemis II hurtles home for make-or-break splashdown

by

Andrew Zinin

lead editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process
Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

reputable news agency

proofread

The GIST
 Add as preferred source

This handout picture released on April 7, 2026, by NASA shows Earth as it dips beyond the lunar horizon, also known as "Earthset," as seen from the Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026.

The Artemis II astronauts conducted a historic lunar flyby, gathered invaluable data and took in unprecedented moon views, but one of the most crucial moments of their 10-day mission is still to come: Friday's splashdown.

Earlier this week, Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen voyaged farther from Earth than any human before, in a mission considered a key stepping stone toward eventual crewed lunar landings, and more.

They are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 pm local time (0007 GMT), after which NASA and the military will help them get out of the capsule and fly them to a recovery ship.

Their journey has been rich in milestones and already resulted in stunning photographs that have captivated the imaginations of people on Earth.

But until the astronauts are home safe, it's too early to talk about success, NASA's Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya told a briefing Thursday.

Christina Koch (L), Jeremy Hansen (top), Reid Wiseman (R), and Victor Glover (bottom) posing for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on April 7, 2026.

"When we can start celebrating is when we have a crew safely in the medbay of the ship," the high-ranking official said. "That's really when we can allow the emotions to take over, and, you know, start talking about success."

"We need to have the crew home before we do that."

Vital heat shield

The stakes are particularly high given concerns that arose during Artemis I, a 2022 uncrewed test flight to the moon and back that saw the Orion heat shield erode in unexpected ways.

The heat shield is vital: During their reentry, the Orion spacecraft will face temperatures peaking around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), or half as hot as the surface of the sun.

The astronauts will come hurtling back at a maximum velocity of 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second—more than 30 times the speed of sound.

The heat shield is meant to slowly erode—"ablate," as NASA puts it—to protect the capsule, a process that during Artemis I was disrupted.

This handout picture released on April 9, 2026, by NASA shows the Moon (L) and Earth (R) each partially illuminated by the Sun as seen from the Orion spacecraft early in the Artemis II moon flyby.

To minimize any risk to the crew, NASA has changed the reentry path they had used in that test mission, after determining it had played a role in the complications.

"We have high confidence in the system and the heat shield and the parachutes and the recovery systems we put together," Kshatriya said. "The engineering supports it, the Artemis I flight data supports it. All of our ground test supports it. Our analysis supports it."

"And tomorrow, the crew is going to put their lives behind that confidence."

Asked later about stress levels on the ground, NASA's associate administrator said "it's impossible to say you don't have any irrational fears left."

"But I would tell you, I don't have any rational fears about what's going to happen."

Joy and anxiety

NASA said loved ones of the astronauts will be watching the return from Houston's mission control.

Catherine Hansen, the wife of astronaut Jeremy, told AFP that "it has been a very emotional week."

Christina Koch looking back at earth through the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 2, 2026.

"There's been a lot of happiness and excitement, a lot of joy," she said, but also "some anxiety and some wanting to get him home safely."

The second phase of the Artemis program has been described by NASA as a "test mission," including to verify the reliability of the Orion capsule, which before now had not carried humans.

It was also a voyage marked by historic achievements: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.

The crew have reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse as well as meteorite impacts.

NASA senior official Lakiesha Hawkins told a briefing this week that "when the mission goes well, it can look like flying to the moon is easy."

"It certainly is not," she continued. "We can't forget that this is a test flight, and we are taking everything that we're learning forward to support the next mission."

This handout picture by an Artemis II crew member provided by NASA shows a sliver of Earth illuminated against the blackness of space through the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 4.

Late Wednesday, astronaut Koch said that "every single thing we do" is with the next crew in mind.

And mission commander Wiseman reflected that "what we really hoped in our soul is that we could, for just a moment, have the world pause—and remember that this is a beautiful planet in a very special place in our universe."

"We should all cherish what we have been gifted."

Key concepts

Earth-moon systemThe MoonOrbits

© 2026 AFP