{"id":17031,"date":"2026-04-10T01:02:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/artemis-2s-trip-around-the-moon-enters-the-home-stretch-heres-how-to-watch-the-splashdown\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T01:02:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:02:29","slug":"artemis-2s-trip-around-the-moon-enters-the-home-stretch-heres-how-to-watch-the-splashdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/artemis-2s-trip-around-the-moon-enters-the-home-stretch-heres-how-to-watch-the-splashdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis 2\u2019s trip around the moon enters the home stretch \u2014 here\u2019s how to watch the splashdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A view from a camera mounted on one of the Orion spacecraft\u2019s solar array wings shows Orion\u2019s engines and thrusters in the foreground, and Earth in the background. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The crew of NASA\u2019s round-the-moon test mission crossed the halfway point between the moon and Earth today on their homeward journey \u2014 and they\u2019re picking up speed as they zero in on a spot off the coast of California for Friday\u2019s live-streamed splashdown.<\/p>\n

At the end of what so far has been a successful Artemis 2 mission, the astronauts are counting on the Orion space capsule\u2019s propulsion system, heat shield and parachutes to work perfectly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to come into the atmosphere at almost 40 times the speed of sound, and then we will slow down to a 20-mile-an-hour touchdown into the Pacific,\u201d NASA pilot Victor Glover told a congressional delegation today during a space-to-ground Q&A. \u201cThe heat shield and the parachutes are going to get us nice and slow. \u2026 We can\u2019t wait to see the dive team and the Navy that are going to pick us up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glover and his crewmates \u2014 mission commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen \u2014 have been testing Orion\u2019s systems during a mission aimed at preparing the way for a lunar landing that could take place as early as 2028. Their 10-day trip is the first time humans have gone around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.<\/p>\n

Artemis 2 lead flight director Jeff Radigan was asked during a news briefing how Friday\u2019s entry and descent would compare with the \u201cSeven Minutes of Terror\u201d experienced by NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover during its 2012 Mars landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 13 minutes of things that have to go right,\u201d said Radigan, referring to the time period between the start of atmospheric entry and splashdown. Then he amended his remarks. \u201cIt\u2019s not 13 minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an hour and a half of things that have to go right.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA has been streaming live coverage of the 10-day mission via YouTube continuously ever since the Orion spacecraft, christened Integrity by its crew, lifted off atop NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket on April 1. But the space agency will boost its coverage to a higher orbit on Friday with special programming that starts at 3:30 p.m. PT. That programming will be aired on commercial streaming services as well as on YouTube and NASA+.<\/p>\n

The show will also be aired on the big screen at the Museum of Flight\u2019s William M. Allen Theater in Seattle. Doors open for seating at 3 p.m. The event is free for museum members and included with museum admission. Museumgoers arriving after 3 p.m. can ask for the Sunset Special to receive 50% off admission.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the schedule for the Artemis 2 homecoming. All times are PT:<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:15 p.m.:<\/strong> Communications handover from the Deep Space Network to the orbital Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, also known as TDRS. <\/p>\n

4:33 p.m.:<\/strong> Orion\u2019s crew module separates from the spacecraft\u2019s European-built service module. After separation, the service module burns up in the atmosphere while the crew module orients itself for descent.<\/p>\n

4:37 p.m.:<\/strong> Final trajectory adjustment burn for crew module. Orion begins roll maneuvers.<\/p>\n

4:53 p.m.:<\/strong> Entry interface. Orion hits the upper layer of the atmosphere at an altitude of about 400,000 feet. The spacecraft executes a \u201clofted entry\u201d maneuver to help reduce its velocity. NASA optimized this \u201cskip entry\u201d maneuver after the 2022 Artemis 1 mission saw unexpected charring on the heat shield. The lofted trajectory helps dissipate heat more evenly.<\/p>\n

Friction and atmospheric plasma will heat the air around the capsule to around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, creating a layer of ionized plasma that blocks radio signals. The communications blackout is expected to last about six minutes.<\/p>\n

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A NASA infographic traces the stages of the Orion spacecraft\u2019s entry, descent and splashdown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe G profile will actually be very similar to what it is on launch,\u201d Glover said. \u201cWe\u2019ll get into the 3 G\u2019s on the way down for a normal entry, but if it is ballistic, we could get up as high as 9, 10 G\u2019s, which is what you pull in a fighter jet. \u2026 And so the G profile is going to be pretty sporty.\u201d<\/p>\n

4:59 p.m.:<\/strong> Communications with Orion expected to resume. The spacecraft\u2019s forward bay cover is due to be jettisoned at an altitude between 36,000 and 24,000 feet.<\/p>\n

5:03 p.m.:<\/strong> Drogue parachutes deploy at 22,000 feet.<\/p>\n

5:04 p.m.:<\/strong> Main parachutes deploy at 6,000 feet.<\/p>\n

5:07 p.m.:<\/strong> Splashdown. The main parachute will be cut, and Orion will inflate helium-filled airbags to make sure the capsule floats right side up.<\/p>\n

Orion\u2019s descent will be monitored from the air and sea, and recovery teams are expected to take less than two hours to extract the astronauts from the capsule and fly them via helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha, an amphibious transport dock ship. <\/p>\n

The astronauts will undergo onboard medical evaluations, and then they\u2019ll be brought to shore in San Diego, where they will board an aircraft that will take them to Johnson Space Center in Houston. Meanwhile, the Orion capsule will be towed back onto the USS John P. Murtha\u2019s well deck for transport.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s homecoming will put some of the components that are built for Orion in the Seattle area to their sternest test:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • L3Harris\u2019 Aerojet Rocketdyne facility in Redmond, Wash., provided the 12 reaction control thrusters critical for re-entry orientation, alongside eight auxiliary engines for the service module. The Redmond team played a role in the refurbishment of Artemis 2\u2019s Orion main engine, which was originally used on the space shuttle Atlantis \u2014 and will play a bigger role in building future main engines.<\/li>\n
  • Karman Space & Defense\u2019s facility in Mukilteo, Wash., built the thruster separation system that will be used to jettison Orion\u2019s forward bay cover. That cover has to come off in order for the spacecraft\u2019s parachutes to deploy, at an altitude high enough to allow the parachutes to unfurl properly.<\/li>\n
  • The Mukilteo factory also makes mechanisms for a side hatch release system that Orion\u2019s crew could use in the event of an emergency landing condition after splashdown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., referred to Washington state\u2019s supporting role when she participated in today\u2019s congressional chat with the astronauts.<\/p>\n

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