Artemis II Splashdown Time Confirmed For Sunday Afternoon
Artemis II Splashdown Time Confirmed For Sunday Afternoon...
NASA has announced that the Artemis II mission will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at approximately 2:35 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 13. The highly anticipated return marks the end of the first crewed lunar mission since 1972, capturing nationwide attention as Americans prepare to watch history unfold.
The Orion spacecraft will land off the coast of San Diego, where recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy are already stationed. The four astronauts aboard—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—will undergo immediate medical checks after their 10-day journey around the Moon.
Public interest surged this week as NASA released final trajectory updates, with "Artemis splashdown time" becoming a top Google search. Museums, schools, and NASA centers nationwide are hosting viewing parties for the event, which will be broadcast live on NASA TV and major networks.
The mission's success paves the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2026. Sunday's splashdown will test critical re-entry systems needed for future Moon landings, including heat shield performance in Earth's atmosphere.
NASA officials confirmed ideal weather conditions are forecast for the landing zone. The agency will begin live coverage at 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, showing the spacecraft's final descent and parachute deployment before ocean recovery operations commence.
