After 10 days circling the Earth, the moon, and breaking records in deep space, the Artemis II crew is about to make one final, fiery plunge back to Earth.
This four-person crew made history on April 6, when Orion reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the farthest any human has ever traveled in space, surpassing Apollo 13’s record. Now, U.S. Navy teams stationed near San Diego are ready to bring them safely home.
If you don’t want to miss the Artemis II return, then tune in to the NASA livestream on Friday. That’s when Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 5:07 p.m. PT (7:07 p.m. CT).
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When to start watching
NASA+ coverage kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT, about 90 minutes before splashdown. But the action really heats up, literally, around 4:53 p.m. PT, when the Orion spacecraft hits entry interface, and the capsule begins its scorching journey through Earth’s atmosphere, where it will reach roughly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the Artemis II recovery, NASA will hold a post-splashdown news conference at 7:30 p.m. PT at Johnson Space Center.
Where to watch Artemis II reentry
Stream the Artemis II return free on NASA+ at plus.nasa.gov or on NASA’s YouTube channel.
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