Artemis II: What happens after splashdown?

Artemis II, its crew, and the Orion spacecraft are expected to splashdown Friday night, April 10, in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, California, marking the end of their historic 10-day flight to the moon and back. 

Here is what happens in the minutes and hours after Artemis II lands in the Pacific Ocean.

Click here for live updates on the Artemis II splashdown

When is splashdown?

Artemis II is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southern California, near San Diego, around 8:07 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, April 10.

Watch Artemis II splashdown live

NASA splashdown timeline

• 7:33 p.m.: Orion’s crew module will separate from the service module, exposing its heat shield for the spacecraft’s return through Earth’s atmosphere, where it will encounter temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 7:37 p.m.: Following separation, Orion will perform an 18 second crew module raise burn beginning to set the proper entry angle and align the heat shield for atmospheric interface.
• 7:53 p.m.: When Orion reaches 400,000 feet above Earth’s surface while traveling nearly 35 times the speed of sound. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs in the planned entry profile. This moment marks the spacecraft’s first contact with the upper atmosphere and the start of a planned six-minute communications blackout as plasma builds around the capsule.
• 8:03 p.m.: Around 22,000 feet in altitude, the drogue parachutes will deploy, slowing and stabilizing the capsule as Orion nears splashdown.
• 8:04 p.m.: At around 6,000 feet, the drogues will release, and the three main parachutes will deploy, reducing Orion’s speed to less than 136 mph.
• 8:07 p.m.: Slowing to 20 mph, Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, completing the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth and a 694,481-mile journey.

What happens to Artemis II astronauts after splashdown?

After Artemis II and the Orion spacecraft land in the Pacific Ocean, teams with NASA and the U.S. military will meet the spacecraft and crew in the ocean.

Within two hours, the Artemis II astronauts will be pulled out of the Orion spacecraft and loaded onto a floating inflatable raft. They will then be flown via the US Navy's HSC-23 helicopters to the USS John P. Murtha ship, where the crew will be evaluated.

Once cleared, the Artemis II crew will be flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

What is the USS John P. Murtha Ship

The USS John P. Murtha ship is equipped with a well deck, helicopter pad, medical facilities, and communication capabilities, according to a news release from the U.S. Navy.

" The platform gives NASA the ability to recover the Orion space capsule and collect critical data to help ensure it’s ready to recover the astronauts and capsule during future Artemis missions," the military said.

The ship is named after the late Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha.

MH-60S Sea Hawl Helicopters will provide imagery support for NASA – and will help track the Orion spacecraft as it descends through the Earth's atmosphere.

HSC-23 helicopters will fly the Artemis II astronauts to the ship. 

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 will provide U.S. Navy divers to help recover the Orion spacecraft and transport it to the USS John P. Murtha well deck. 

Who are the Artemis II astronauts?

There are three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut that are part of the Artemis II flight mission:

• Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA
• Pilot Victor Glover, NASA
• Mission specialist Christina Koch, NASA
• Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency