Science

How the Artemis crew will splash down on Earth

The Artemis crew will return to Earth on 10 April after a 10-day mission that took them around the Moon.

Published April 10, 2026, 4:27 AM
Updated April 10, 2026, 4:42 AM4.1K
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How the Artemis crew will splash down on Earth

The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft have completed their mission around the Moon and are expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego at 20:07 eastern US time on Friday (01:07 BST on Saturday).

The splashdown sequence, beginning with the separation of the European Service Module, takes roughly 42 minutes to complete.

The re-entry and subsequent splashdown are considered the most dangerous part of the Artemis II mission, with the Orion capsule enduring temperatures of nearly 2,760C — about half as hot as the Sun.

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