Artemis II Crew Touches Down Off San Diego After Historic Moon Flyby

Splashdown Success

At 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) on Friday, April 10, 2026, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just off San Diego. Recovery teams boarded the vessel and safely transferred the four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—into the ship for medical checks.

Mission Numbers

Flight‑dynamics officials reported that Integrity traveled 700,237 miles, reached a peak velocity of 24,664 mph, and hit its entry‑angle target within 0.4 %. The entry range measured 1,957 miles and the capsule landed less than a mile from the planned coordinate.

Next Steps

Crews will spend the next five to six hours hoisting the capsule out of the water for a thorough inspection of the heat shield and service‑module valves. The crew is slated to arrive in Houston on Saturday, where they will debrief before the agency turns its focus to Artemis III, planned for next year.

Significance

Artemis II marks the first human trip around the Moon since 1972 and solidifies NASA’s lead in the 21st‑century lunar race.