Overview
- NASA’s Orion splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego on Friday at 8:07 p.m. EDT, completing Artemis II’s return as planned.
- U.S. Navy teams on the USS John P. Murtha began recovery with divers, helicopter transfers, and quick medical checks, with the crew reported in good or excellent condition.
- Reentry drove the capsule through about 40,000 km/h speeds, roughly 2,700°C heating, and a planned six‑minute loss of signal before parachutes slowed it for splashdown.
- The flight validated life‑support, navigation, and the heat shield after earlier surface wear seen on Artemis I, supplying data to shape the timeline and design for Artemis III.
- The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—also set a new human distance record during a lunar flyby, showing progress toward future Moon landings.