There is something strangely quiet about looking at a photo of the Orion spacecraft drifting against the vast, empty backdrop of the Moon. Misryoum editorial desk confirmed that as of Tuesday, the crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission has officially pivoted toward home. They finished their lunar flyby, which feels like a major milestone in what has been a rather intense 10-day trip. Actually, waiting for them to come back feels like a long time—or maybe it just feels that way because we’re so used to everything happening instantly now.
NASA dropped the first set of images from the close approach on Monday, and they’re—well, they’re exactly what you’d expect, grainy but beautiful lunar landscapes. It’s strange to think about them up there while everything back here keeps spinning. There’s a faint hum of the coffee machine in the newsroom right now, a stark contrast to the silence of deep space.
Everything is currently moving toward an April 10 splashdown. The capsule is expected to hit the water off the coast of San Diego, California. Misryoum reporting suggests the mission is largely tracking as planned, despite the usual nerves that come with bringing a crew back through the atmosphere. It’s a delicate, high-stakes game of physics.
I wonder what they’re thinking about, the crew. Probably just the landing. The landing is the hard part, usually. Or maybe they’re just ready to be out of those suits. Misryoum editorial analysis indicates that this phase is critical, requiring precise navigation to ensure that the reentry happens exactly where they need it to.
The mission timeline is fixed for that Pacific arrival in just a couple of days. It’s a lot of pressure for the recovery teams waiting in the water—I mean, out at sea. The whole thing really highlights how complex these logistics are, balancing the hardware, the crew’s health, and the unpredictable nature of ocean recovery operations.
They’ll be home soon. Then, it’s all just data and debriefs.