Artemis 2 faces fiery Earth reentry en route to Pacific splashdown
TL;DR
Artemis 2's crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—will return from the moon by plunging into Earth’s atmosphere at about 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) around 75 miles up, in a roughly eight-minute fiery reentry before a splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego on April 10. To reduce heat-stress after Artemis 1’s heat-shield damage, Orion will enter at a steeper angle and rely on its Avcoat heat shield, with parachutes deploying to slow the capsule for a Navy recovery after touchdown.
- All eyes on Orion’s heat shield: Artemis 2 astronauts will hit Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 24,000 mph on April 10 Space
- NASA Prepares for Artemis II Splashdown After Historic Moon Flyby The New York Times
- Instead Of An Aircraft Carrier, This Ship Will Recover The Orion Spacecraft Forbes
- Artemis II splashdown forecast: Orion's return to Earth looking good, but NASA monitors Pacific storm that could impact landing ABC7 Los Angeles
- Artemis II's last test: Will its heat shield work? National Geographic
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