NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10: Crew Sets for Final Burn, Splashdown

NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – After 10 days of pushing the boundaries of human exploration, the four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission have successfully returned to Earth. The Orion spacecraft, carrying the first humans to visit the vicinity of the Moon in over half a century, made a spectacular splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 8:07 PM EDT (which was 5:37 AM IST on Saturday, April 11 for viewers in India).

This homecoming marks the completion of the most significant crewed spaceflight since the Apollo era, setting the stage for humanity’s permanent return to the lunar surface. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

The Moment of Return: A “Fireball” in the Sky

The return to Earth is often the most dangerous part of any space mission. The Orion capsule hit the top of Earth’s atmosphere traveling at approximately 40,000 km/h. To survive the intense heat of re-entry—which reached nearly 2,800°C—the spacecraft utilized a “skip entry” maneuver, much like a stone skipping across a pond, to bleed off speed before finally plunging into the atmosphere.

As the capsule descended, a sequence of 11 parachutes deployed in perfect harmony, slowing the craft from hundreds of miles per hour to a gentle 30 km/h before it hit the water off the coast of San Diego. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

LIVE: NASA’s Artemis II Crew Splashdown | Artemis 2 Lunar Mission Return

The Recovery Operation

The USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. Navy recovery ship, was waiting at the splashdown site. Within minutes of hitting the water, Navy divers and NASA specialists secured the capsule. In a move to prioritize astronaut health, the crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—were airlifted via helicopter directly from the “front porch” of the capsule to the ship for immediate medical evaluation. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Launches To The Moon

Artemis II Re-entry and Splashdown Timeline

All times are listed in Indian Standard Time (IST) for the morning of Saturday, April 11, 2026.

Time (IST)	Event	Description
2:35 AM	Crew Wake-up	The crew begins their final day in space.
5:03 AM	Service Module Separation	The Orion Crew Module separates from the European Service Module.
5:07 AM	Raise Burn	A critical engine fire to position the capsule for the correct entry angle.
5:23 AM	Atmospheric Entry	Orion hits the atmosphere at 40,000 km/h. Communication blackout begins.
5:33 AM	Drogue Parachutes	Two small chutes deploy at 22,000 feet to stabilize the capsule.
5:34 AM	Main Parachutes	Three massive main chutes deploy at 6,000 feet, slowing Orion to 32 km/h.
5:37 AM	Splashdown!	Orion touches down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
6:57 AM	Crew Extraction	Astronauts exit the capsule onto the “front porch” inflatable raft.
7:05 AM	Helicopter Transfer	The crew is airlifted from the raft to the USS John P. Murtha.
8:00 AM	Medical Evaluation	Post-flight medical checks begin aboard the recovery ship.

The Final Descent: A “Skip” Home

To ensure a safe landing, the Orion capsule utilized a “Skip Entry” maneuver. Instead of plunging straight through the atmosphere, it “skipped” off the upper layers like a stone on water. This helped dissipate the immense heat—nearly 2,800°C—and allowed the spacecraft to precisely target its landing zone near the recovery ship. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

NASA+ & YouTube: The official NASA YouTube channel has the full “Splashdown Live” broadcast archived.

Meet the Heroes: A Crew of “Firsts”

The Artemis II mission was not just about technology; it was about representing all of humanity. The four-member crew included:

Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA): A veteran pilot who led the mission with precision. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10
Pilot Victor Glover (NASA): The first person of color to leave low-Earth orbit and travel to the Moon.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA): The first woman to journey to the lunar vicinity, adding to her record-breaking career in space. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA): The first non-American (Canadian) to fly to the Moon, representing the growing international partnership in space exploration. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

Journey Highlights: What Did They Achieve?

While the crew did not land on the Moon—that honor is reserved for the upcoming Artemis III mission—their 10-day trip was packed with milestones: NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

Record-Breaking Distance: The crew traveled approximately 7,400 km beyond the far side of the Moon, reaching a maximum distance of over 400,000 km from Earth. This is the farthest any human has ever traveled into deep space.
The Lunar Flyby: On April 6, the crew performed a “slingshot” maneuver around the Moon. During this time, they captured breathtaking high-definition images of the lunar surface and witnessed an “Earthset” from the far side.
A Cosmic Coincidence: In a rare stroke of luck, the astronauts witnessed a total solar eclipse from their unique vantage point in space, seeing the Moon’s shadow sweep across the Earth.
Testing Life Support: The primary goal was to ensure the Orion’s life-support systems can keep humans alive for long durations in deep space—a test they passed with flying colors. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

How to Watch the Highlights in India

If you missed the live splashdown due to the early morning hour in India, you can still catch the full replay and highlights. NASA has made the footage available across several digital platforms: NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

NASA+: The agency’s ad-free streaming service.
YouTube: The official NASA channel features the full “Splashdown Live” broadcast, including the moment of impact and the crew egress. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10
NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10 Netflix & Disney+ Hotstar: In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the mission was streamed live on Netflix globally. You can find the recorded broadcast in the “New & Popular” or “Documentary” sections.
Social Media: Short, high-impact clips of the parachutes opening and the crew waving from the recovery ship are trending on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram via the @NASA and @NASAArtemis accounts.

Why This Matters for India and the World

The success of Artemis II is a green light for the future of space exploration. With NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion capsule proven safe for humans, the path is now clear for Artemis III (targeted for 2027/2028), which will land the first woman and the next man on the lunar South Pole. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

For India, this mission is particularly inspiring. As ISRO prepares for its own crewed mission, Gaganyaan, and looks toward the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (India’s own space station), the lessons learned from Artemis II regarding deep-space radiation and long-range communication will be invaluable for the global scientific community.

The Physics of the “Home Stretch”

After completing its lunar flyby, Orion was traveling on a “free-return trajectory.” However, to hit a specific splashdown target in the Pacific Ocean, the flight controllers executed the Return Target Burn.

The Engine: Orion utilized its main engine on the European Service Module (ESM).
The Precision: The “entry interface”—the point where the capsule officially hits the atmosphere—is a window only a few kilometers wide. Missing this by even a fraction of a degree would be catastrophic.
The Speed: This burn ensured Orion hit the atmosphere at approximately 40,000 km/h (nearly 11 km per second).

The Skip Entry Maneuver

One of the most advanced features tested during this return was the Skip Entry. This is a technique NASA developed to give the capsule more range and a softer descent. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10

Initial Entry: Orion dipped into the upper atmosphere to slow down.
The “Skip”: Using its aerodynamic lift, the capsule actually pitched up and “hopped” back out of the atmosphere briefly.
Final Descent: This “hop” allowed the capsule to bleed off massive amounts of heat and kinetic energy before the final plunge, making the ride safer for the crew and the landing more precise.

Final Separation

NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10 Just before hitting the thickest part of the atmosphere, a series of pyrotechnic bolts fired, separating the Crew Module (where the astronauts sit) from the Service Module.

The Service Module: Having done its job providing power and propulsion, it was cast off to burn up harmlessly over the ocean.
The Heat Shield: This left the Crew Module’s bottom-mounted heat shield exposed to take the full brunt of the 2,800°C friction heat.

Summary of the Final Moments

Once the return burn was confirmed successful, the mission moved into its “passive” phase where gravity and physics took over:

Blackout Zone: For several minutes during the peak heat of re-entry, the plasma surrounding the craft blocked all radio signals, leaving the world in a tense silence.
Parachute Sequence: Once at a safe speed and altitude, the 11-parachute sequence began, culminating in the three massive “orange and white” main chutes that guided the crew to the water.

This final burn wasn’t just a technical step; it was the definitive signal that, for the first time in over 50 years, a human-rated spacecraft was successfully returning from the Moon. NASA’s Artemis II Flight Day 10