After a 10-day mission around the moon, the Artemis II astronauts will have traveled nearly 700,000 miles
By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron
A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft on April 2, 2026.
NASA
NASA has launched four astronauts on a pioneering journey around the moon—the Artemis II mission. Follow our coverage here.
Join Our Community of Science Lovers!
The Artemis II crew is coming home. The four astronauts onboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft are set to splash down Friday evening off the coast of San Diego, Calif., capping a 10-day, nearly 700,000-mile journey around the moon and back.
So far, everything is going to plan: On Thursday NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen reviewed return procedures, spoke with flight director Rick Henfling and packed up the spacecraft in preparation for splashdown.
The spacecraft also completed the second of three planned engine burns to keep it on the right return trajectory to enter Earth’s atmosphere. A final burn is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
All systems were “good to go” for reentry, Artemis II Orion vehicle manager Branelle Rodriguez said at a press conference on Thursday.
As of Friday morning at 8:50 A.M. EDT, the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, was located less than 75,000 miles from home and traveling more than 4,700 miles per hour.
NASA anticipates the crew will reenter Earth’s atmosphere at just under 25,000 mph and ultimately slow to less than 20 mph as they plunge into the Pacific Ocean around 8:07 P.M. EDT.
Despite concerns about the heat shield, which had experienced unexpected damage during Artemis I’s reentry in 2022 that had prompted a subsequent investigation, NASA is confident about the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth.
“Every system we've demonstrated over the past nine days—life support, navigation, propulsion, communications—all of it depends on the final minutes of flight,” said NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya at Thursday’s press conference. “We have high confidence in the system and the heat shield and the parachutes and the recovery systems we put together.”
“The engineering supports it. The Artemis I flight data supports it. All of our ground tests supports it. Our analysis supports it. And tomorrow the crew is going to put their lives behind that confidence,” Kshatriya said.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.