10/04/2026
Today, Friday, April 10, 2026, the Artemis II crewReid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—is currently facing the mission’s "ultimate test": reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
After a 10-day journey that took them around the far side of the Moon, the Orion spacecraft is hurtling toward Earth for a high-stakes splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The Final Milestones (Today’s Schedule)
The crew is currently in the final hours of their journey. Here is the timeline for this evening's critical events:
6:30 PM EDT: NASA's live coverage begins as the capsule approaches the atmosphere.
7:53 PM EDT: The "Ultimate Test" begins. Orion will hit the Earth's atmosphere at roughly 25,000 mph (40,000 km/h).
The Heat Shield Challenge: The spacecraft's heat shield must withstand temperatures reaching 2,800°C (5,000°F). This is a critical moment, as engineers are closely watching to see if the shield perfor wems better than the one on the uncrewed Artemis I, which experienced unexpected charring.
8:07 PM EDT: Splashdown. If all goes to plan, the capsule will splash down off the coast of San Diego, where the USS John P. Murtha is waiting for recovery operations.
Mission Highlights So Far
Record Breaking: The crew has become the fastest humans in history and the first to travel beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.
Lunar Flyby: On April 6, they successfully completed a flyby of the Moon's far side. During the mission, they even had a live conversation with President Trump to mark the historic achievement.
Daily Life: The crew has been sharing updates throughout the week, including a lighter moment where they discussed "Project Hail Mary" being a favorite read during their transit.
The world is now watching to see if the 11 parachutes deploy correctly to slow the capsule from thousands of miles per hour to just 17 mph for a safe landing.
