The Artemis II mission is finally winding down. In just a few hours—or maybe sooner—the Orion spacecraft is slated to hit the atmosphere and splash down off the coast of California. The teardrop-shaped module is set to detach from its service component at 7:33 p.m. ET. That’s the official signal that things are getting real for the four astronauts on board.
Everything hinges on the heat shield. It has to endure temperatures hitting 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit as the craft screams through the atmosphere at 24,000 miles per hour. It’s a violent, high-speed descent, eventually slowing down via parachutes to a gentle 20 m.p.h. before hitting the water. I can almost hear the hum of the recovery teams waiting out there on the U.S.S. John P. Murtha.
Actually, there’s been quite a bit of chatter about that shield. See, it’s basically the same design that showed unexpected pockmarking during the uncrewed Artemis I flight back in 2022. Some former engineers have been pretty vocal about their concerns, calling it “sub-optimal.” It’s the kind of thing that makes you hold your breath a little, despite NASA’s reassurances that they’ve accounted for the risk.
To manage the heat, NASA is banking on a steeper entry angle. By changing the trajectory, they hope to cut the time the shield spends in the inferno from 20 minutes down to about 13.5. It sounds like a solid plan on paper—get in, get through, and get out before the material fails. Or maybe that’s just the best they could do under the circumstances.
Most people on the coast won’t see the splashdown, even though it’s occurring a couple of hours before sunset. But if you’re nearby? Keep your ears open for the sonic booms. They’re going to be moving at over 30 times the speed of sound, which is just wild to think about while sitting here at a desk.
Recovery operations will begin almost immediately after the impact. The crew will be whisked off to medical evaluations on the ship before heading back to Houston. It’s been a fairly smooth ride—minus the infamous space toilet issues, of course. NASA has a live feed running for the next 90 minutes. I’ve linked it below; you might still have time to watch the end of the journey.