Artemis 2 Splashdown

The Artemis 2 splashdown time is approximately 8:07 PM ET (Eastern Time) on April 10, 2026. That is 5:07 PM PT for viewers on the West Coast. Splashdown occurs in the Pacific Ocean about 50–60 miles off the coast of San Diego, California.

The Artemis 2 splashdown time is approximately 8:07 PM ET on April 10, 2026. In other time zones: 7:07 PM CT (Central), 6:07 PM MT (Mountain), 5:07 PM PT (Pacific), and 12:07 AM UTC on April 11. NASA coverage typically begins several hours before the scheduled splashdown time.

The Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 50–60 miles off the coast of San Diego, California. The recovery zone was chosen for its proximity to Naval Base San Diego and Navy recovery assets.

Orion enters Earth's atmosphere at approximately 25,000 mph (Mach 32) — about 32 times the speed of sound. This makes it the fastest crewed vehicle re-entry since the Apollo era over 50 years ago.

Skip entry is a technique where the capsule dips into the upper atmosphere, uses aerodynamic lift to bounce back into space, then re-enters for final descent — like skipping a rock on water. It reduces peak g-forces on the crew, splits the heat load into two passes, and extends the landing range from 1,725 miles (Apollo) to 5,524 miles, enabling precise splashdown targeting.

The AVCOAT heat shield reaches approximately 5,000°F (2,760°C) during re-entry — roughly half the temperature of the Sun's visible surface. The 16.5-foot shield is the largest ablative heat shield ever built for a crewed spacecraft.

Yes. After Artemis I revealed over 100 sites of unexpected material loss caused by trapped gas in the AVCOAT, engineers modified the skip-entry trajectory for Artemis II. The new trajectory allows the material to breathe throughout re-entry, preventing gas buildup and crack formation.

Orion deploys 11 parachutes in sequence: 3 pilot chutes to remove the forward bay cover, 2 drogue parachutes (23 ft each) to stabilize the capsule, 3 more pilot chutes to extract the mains, and 3 main parachutes (116 ft each) that slow the capsule to approximately 17 mph for splashdown.

When Orion enters the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, the extreme friction creates a superheated plasma envelope around the capsule. This plasma blocks all radio signals, cutting communication between the crew and Mission Control for approximately 6 minutes. The crew is completely on their own during this period.

The USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), an amphibious transport dock ship based at Naval Base San Diego, is the primary recovery vessel. Navy divers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 assist with crew extraction.

The target is to have all four crew members in the medical bay aboard USS Murtha within approximately 2 hours of splashdown. Recovery teams first wait 30–45 minutes for hazardous fumes to clear, then divers install a stabilization collar and extraction raft before opening the hatch.

The "front porch" is an inflatable raft positioned beneath Orion's side hatch. It serves as an extraction platform where astronauts step out of the capsule. Once all four crew members are on the raft, it's moved about 100 yards from the capsule before helicopter pickup.

No. Unlike the Apollo missions where crews were quarantined for weeks due to concerns about lunar surface contamination, Artemis II astronauts did not land on the Moon's surface, so no quarantine is required. They proceed directly to medical evaluation and debriefing.

Apollo used direct atmospheric entry with a single high-g event, limited landing range (~1,725 mi), and 36,000 hand-filled heat shield cells. Artemis uses skip entry with two lower-g events (~4 g's each), 3× greater landing range (~5,524 mi), 186 pre-machined AVCOAT blocks, and modern navigation that Apollo lacked.

Yes. The Orion parachute system is designed with redundancy — the capsule can safely land with only two of the three main parachutes functioning. The system was extensively tested with deliberate single-chute failures before certification.

Recovery requires no precipitation or thunderstorms within 30 nautical miles of the splashdown zone, wave heights below 6 feet, and winds under 25 knots. The skip entry technique gives Mission Control flexibility to adjust the splashdown time and landing point if weather conditions change.