The Artemis II crew is preparing to return to Earth on April 10 after a ten-day journey around the Moon. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are set to begin the most dangerous phase of their mission: re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
This mission is seen as a key step for future human landings on the Moon and potential missions to Mars. NASA officials have expressed concern about the risks involved in re-entry. The agency’s chief said, “I won’t stop thinking about it until they’re in the water.”
According to the official schedule (Argentina time), re-entry protocols will start at 20:53. The crew will experience six minutes of total radio silence beginning at 21:01 due to thermal plasma surrounding their capsule during descent. Splashdown is expected at 21:07 in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
The Orion capsule must withstand extreme conditions as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at over 40,000 kilometers per hour. The heat shield will face temperatures close to 2,700 degrees Celsius caused by friction with atmospheric particles. Engineers have emphasized that Orion must enter with an exact angle of -5.8 degrees relative to the horizon; otherwise, there is a risk of skipping off or burning up upon entry.
All attention remains on Orion’s heat shield because cracks were found during its previous uncrewed flight. While NASA has confidence in trajectory adjustments made since then, experts say there remains an “irrational apprehension” until parachutes are fully deployed and visible.
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, Artemis II has already achieved several milestones: reaching a record distance from Earth—406,777 kilometers—surpassing Apollo 13; including for the first time a woman (Christina Koch), an African American (Victor Glover), and a Canadian (Jeremy Hansen) on a lunar journey; and capturing rare images such as views of the Moon’s far side and witnessing a total solar eclipse from space.
