NASA's Artemis II crew completes historic lunar flyby mission with Pacific Ocean splashdown
Consensus Summary
NASA’s Artemis II mission concluded with the historic splashdown of the Orion capsule in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10, 2026, marking the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—set a new record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth at 252,756 miles, surpassing Apollo 13’s 1970 record. The mission lasted 10 days and included groundbreaking moments such as the dedication of a lunar crater to Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, and the use of a plushie mascot designed by an eight-year-old. The re-entry phase was the most perilous, with Orion traveling at 24,661 mph and enduring temperatures up to 5,000°F, protected by a heat shield that faced scrutiny after damage was found on the uncrewed Artemis I mission. Recovery teams aboard the USS John P. Murtha successfully extracted the crew, who will now undergo medical evaluations in Houston. The mission signifies a major step toward NASA’s goal of a crewed moon landing in 2028 and eventual Mars exploration, showcasing international collaboration and technological advancements.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Artemis II Orion capsule splashdown scheduled for 5:07pm PT (12:07am GMT Saturday) off the coast of San Diego, California, on April 10, 2026.
- The Artemis II crew consists of four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (commander, NASA), Victor Glover (pilot, NASA), Christina Koch (mission specialist, NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency).
- Artemis II set a record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth, reaching 252,756 miles (406,756 km), surpassing the previous record of 252,756 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
- Orion’s re-entry speed is approximately 24,661 mph (40,000 km/h), with temperatures reaching up to 5,000°F (2,760°C) during atmospheric entry.
- The Orion capsule will use 11 parachutes to slow its descent, with the final splashdown speed estimated at 17 mph (27 km/h).
- The crew will be recovered by the USS John P. Murtha and transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for medical evaluations.
- The Artemis II mission lasted 10 days, marking the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- The Orion capsule’s heat shield experienced unexpected damage during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, with over 100 cracks and craters found post-re-entry.
- The crew dedicated a previously unnamed lunar crater to Carroll Taylor Wiseman, Reid Wiseman’s late wife, during the mission.
- The Artemis II launch occurred on April 1, 2026, from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Christina Koch described an overwhelming sense of being moved by the lunar landscape during the mission, calling the moon a 'unique body in the universe'.
- The Orion capsule’s malfunctioning toilet required inflight repairs and the use of urine collection bags.
- A plushie mascot named Rise, designed by eight-year-old Lucas Ye, was used as a zero-gravity indicator and appeared in crew press conferences.
- Charmin offered the Artemis II crew a year’s supply of toilet paper after the Orion’s toilet malfunctioned.
- The crew enjoyed an Easter egg hunt with dehydrated scrambled eggs during the mission.
- A former NASA engineer, Charlie Camarda, compared Artemis II’s heat shield risks to the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters, calling it 'playing Russian roulette'.
- The Orion capsule’s heat shield is made from Avcoat, a re-engineered version of the Apollo missions’ material, despite faster re-entry speeds.
- The Orion capsule’s re-entry will be the fastest ever attempted for a crewed spacecraft, at approximately 40,000 km/h.
- The crew spent seven hours capturing science data from Orion’s windows before descent.
- The USS John P. Murtha will assist in recovery operations, with helicopters and medical teams ready to extract the crew.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian and ABC report splashdown at 5:07pm PT, but Newscomau states splashdown is at 10am AEST (which corresponds to 8pm PT Friday, not 5:07pm PT).
- The Guardian and ABC mention a 10-day mission, while Newscomau and ABC specify the mission duration as 10 days but do not contradict the timeline.
- The Guardian states the Orion capsule’s heat shield will reach 5,000°F (2,760°C), while Newscomau and ABC mention temperatures up to 10,000°C (twice the temperature of the sun’s surface) during re-entry plasma formation.
Source Articles
Artemis II crew to end record-setting mission with Pacific Ocean splashdown
The four astronauts are set to touch down on Earth and conclude the 10-day mission after completing moon flyby The number of human beings who have travelled to the moon and returned safely to Earth will grow to 28 on Friday night when Nasa’s Orion capsule containing four Artemis II astronauts will glide gently to a Pacific Ocean splashdown beneath three giant parachutes. The scheduled 5.07pm PT landing (1.07am BST Saturday) off the coast of San Diego will mark the end of a 10-day lunar odyssey t
Artemis II splashdown: Orion capsule scheduled to land off California coast at just after 5pm local time – live updates
Follow the latest updates as astronauts prepare for fiery re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere after 10-day mission to fly around the moon Artemis II crew to end record-setting mission with splashdown Sign up for the Breaking News US email The scheduled splashdown of Artemis II in the Pacific Ocean, at 8.07pm ET (5.07pm PT; 12.07am GMT), is now just under three hours away. The Orion spacecraft has completed its third and final return trajectory correction burn (RTC), a nine-second, precise firing of i
Artemis II crew to return home as Nasa lays out steps for safe splashdown
Astronauts prepare for re-entry several miles off coast of southern California after 10-day lunar fly-by mission The crew of Artemis II is set to return to earth on Friday following its historic 10-day lunar flyby mission, and Nasa leaders have described the precise logistics needed to get them home. The return will see the Orion capsule traveling at nearly 24,000mph before making a final splashdown several miles off the coast of San Diego. The operation requires multiple teams and careful coord
Artemis II returns: Anxious wait for splashdown as astronauts brace for fiery ‘ride through a fireball’
Four astronauts prepare for the most dangerous phase as their capsule hurtles through plasma at 40,000km/h in a ‘ride through a fireball’.
Live: NASA's Artemis II astronauts prepare for splashdown
After orbiting the Moon, four astronauts on board the Orion capsule are preparing to return to Earth.
Splashdown: How Artemis II comes back to Earth
The Orion space capsule will enter the Earth's atmosphere as a burning fireball, travelling at about 40,000 km/h, splashing down off the coast of southern California. Here's a breakdown of how the spacecraft copes with high temperatures, slows down, and what happens as it splashes down.
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