NASA Schedules Artemis II Crew’s Pacific Splashdown: Orion Re-entry Set for Historic Return

The most perilous segment of the Artemis II astronauts’ journey will unfold as the Orion spacecraft makes its return to Earth, culminating in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean this coming Friday.

NASA is tirelessly working to ensure the safe return of the four astronauts, and as of Thursday, Mission Control expressed optimism to ABC13 regarding the anticipated splashdown on Friday.

When and where will Artemis II splashdown?

According to NASA’s website, Artemis II is on the brink of its homecoming. The Orion spacecraft is slated for re-entry and splashdown at approximately 7:07 p.m. CDT (8:07 p.m. EDT, 5:07 p.m. PDT) on Friday, April 10, just off the coast of San Diego.

The re-entry process will commence with the separation of the service module around 6:33 p.m. CDT, roughly 20 minutes before Orion reaches Earth’s upper atmosphere. Shortly thereafter, a strategically timed burn will refine the flight path to guide the spacecraft toward its predetermined landing area, initiating a series of roll maneuvers.

NASA reports that just before entering the Earth’s atmosphere, Orion and its crew will attain a peak velocity of approximately 23,864 miles per hour.

The first parachutes to slow the spacecraft will be deployed at about 22,000 feet at 7:03 p.m. CDT, followed by more at about 6,000 feet.

The crew is expected to be extracted from Orion and flown to the USS John P. Murtha within two hours of landing, where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations.

How will the Artemis II crew re-enter Earth?

While America’s 250th anniversary is three months away, NASA is planning to start the fireworks early with pyrotechnics that will help slow the Orion spacecraft before splashdown.

“Basically, we pack a shoot into a bag, stuff it into a cannon, plug some pyrotechnics into the back of it and blast them out into the airstream,” Jared Daum, Artemis II parachute system manager, said.

Eyewitness News got a close look at the technology on board the Orion spacecraft that will help get the astronauts back home to Earth.

Daum said there are four series of parachutes that go off with a bang. They’re essential to slowing the spacecraft, which is expected to go from 400,000 feet to the Pacific Ocean in just 13 minutes at speeds up to 35,000 feet per second.

What happens when the astronauts are back home?

The team at Mission Control in Houston is making sure everything goes according to plan when the Artemis II crew returns to our planet.

Teams at the Johnson Space Center were tasked with developing tools to test astronauts’ balance shortly after they return to Earth.

Jason Norcross, an extra-vehicular activities and environmental physiology laboratory senior scientist, said that while the mission lasted only a week and a half, it could take days for the astronauts to overcome some disorientation.

“You’ll often see the astronauts as they move, they’ll tend to keep their head and body kind of robotically together. That’s a way to prevent motion sickness,” Norscross said.

What’s next for NASA?

When the Artemis II crew is back on solid ground again, they will board an aircraft bound for Houston’s Johnson Space Center to put the finishing touches on the Artemis II mission.

After the splashdown years in the making, NASA officials hope that Artemis II is the mission that gets humans one step closer to landing on the moon again.

“It’s a big deal. I’m super excited,” Daum expressed.