The Artemis II crew is making its return journey to Earth after its space expedition.
Artemis II is NASA’s first lunar flyby mission in the past 50 years. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen were chosen to fly the Space Launch System rocket. All four astronauts made history as Glover was the first person of color, Koch was the first woman, Hansen — who is part of the Canadian Astronaut Corps — was the first non-U.S. citizen and Wiseman was the oldest person to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft launched earlier this month on April 1. The crew traveled around the far side of the moon as a test flight to support future missions for humans to reach the lunar surface. While the crew didn’t land on the moon, they broke Apollo 13’s record for the greatest human distance from Earth.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Artemis II’s splashdown:
When Does Artemis II Land?
Artemis II is scheduled to return to Earth on April 10. According to The Planetary Society, the Artemis II is expected to have its crew module separation at 7:33 p.m. ET/4:33 p.m. PT. The separation is the controlled detachment of the spacecraft’s capsule housing the astronauts from the launch rocket.
Following the separation, the crew will re-enter in to the Earth’s atmosphere. Artemis II’s splashdown into the Pacific Ocean has a target time: 8:07 p.m. ET/5:07 p.m. PT.
Where Is Artemis II Landing?
Artemis II’s landing target is in the Pacific Ocean, near San Diego, California.
How Will the Artemis II Crew Be Recovered?
Upon landing in the Pacific Ocean, the Artemis II crew will be transported from their capsule to the USS John P. Murtha, which is a U.S. Navy transport dock ship homeported at the San Diego naval base. The crew will undergo medical checks before returning to shore.
Where to Watch the Artemis II Landing
Artemis II’s historic splashdown can be watched live on NASA’s YouTube channel and CBS News. Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PDT.
How Long Was Artemis II in Space?
Artemis II was on a 10-day mission for a flyby mission to the dark side of the moon.
What Did the Artemis II Crew Do in Space?
In addition to serving as a test run for future space missions, the Artemis II crew had some memorable moments on board. During their travel time to the moon, the group filmed a video based on a classic sitcom opener. The video introduced each astronaut and their role set to the Full House’s theme song “Everywhere You Look.”
After reaching the moon’s orbit six days after its launch, astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed to mission control saying that the crew wanted to “honor their mission by naming two craters on the moon.” One of the craters was named after Artemis II’s commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020 at age 46.
The Artemis II astronauts also made history by becoming the first humans to see a total eclipse from behind the moon.
