In just a few hours, the Artemis II mission is expected to conclude. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen have had an extraordinary journey aboard their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, as they circled the moon, setting a new record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled.
The return trip to Earth will see the four astronauts splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, at 8:07 p.m. ET. Re-entry is a challenging phase, with the spacecraft reaching speeds of nearly 40,000 km/h and the capsule heating up to 3,000 degrees Celsius.
The descent involves intense forces on the astronauts’ bodies, experiencing almost four times their normal weight, akin to being under tremendous pressure. Reflecting on the experience, astronaut Glover described the re-entry as profound, a moment he will remember and discuss for a lifetime.
Before the crew touches solid ground, several critical steps must be completed. The European Service Module, providing power to the Orion spacecraft, must detach before re-entry, followed by potential trajectory adjustments and roll maneuvers to separate from the service module.
As the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, a plasma buildup will disrupt communication with ground control for about six minutes, known as LOS (loss of signal). The spacecraft will deploy parachutes to slow its descent, culminating in a splashdown off San Diego after a 14-minute sequence of events.
Upon splashdown, the astronauts will be greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, ready to assist in their recovery. Medical evaluations will follow, and the astronauts will return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The scientific data collected during the mission will be processed, with some results sent immediately and others requiring further analysis.
