NASA Artemis II live updates: Astronauts splash down after record-breaking moon mission

Wiseman was last out of the spacecraft. All four astronauts are now on the inflatable "front porch."

Helicopters will bring the crew members to the USS John P. Murtha, where they will undergo medical evaluations.

NASA

Two crew members are now out of the Orion capsule, NASA confirmed.

A helicopter hovering overhead will pick them up individually and bring them to the recovery ship.

NASA

There's a raucous celebration going on in Mission Control.

Flight director Rick Henfling invited the hundreds of flight controllers who were involved with the Artemis II mission into the room to celebrate the successful return of the four astronauts.

"This is reminiscent of the scene after the final [space] shuttle mission of STS-135," NASA commentator Rob Navias said. "Although, that was the end of a program. This is only the beginning of a program."

President Donald Trump offered his congratulations to NASA and the "Very Talented Crew" of the Artemis II mission.

"The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We'll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!"

The president's 2027 budget proposal suggests cutting NASA's funding by 23% overall, though it does include a $731 million boost for the Artemis program.

The budget must be approved by the House and Senate, however. Congress largely rejected attempts last year to cut science funding, including for NASA.

A NASA video explains how the stabilization collar surrounding the Orion capsule works.

How does the capsule stabilization collar work?

02:31

NASA commentator Megan Cruz said ocean currents are hindering recovery teams from setting up the inflatable "front porch" around the Orion capsule.

"As calm as the water looks, yeah, it looks like it's hindering the teams just a tad," she said.

NASA is still on target, however, to extract the crew members within two hours of splashdown.

The Orion capsule's side hatch is now open for the first time since before the four astronauts lifted off on April 1.

NASA

Over the last hour, the astronauts have gone from microgravity to traveling at more than 24,000 mph to striking the Pacific Ocean at about 20 mph.

Steve Robinson, a former NASA astronaut, explained on NBC News Now just how jarring it can be to return to Earth.

"They started out in floating. Everything was floating, and you get used to that," Robinson said."So then they hit the water, which is not the gentle kind of thing, it’s a big smack on the water. So they have really been through a lot in the last hour, and they’re sitting there now just thinking about, did I really do that? That really happened?"

NASA's flight dynamics team has pinpointed the exact splashdown time at 8:07 p.m. ET and 27 seconds.

That puts the total mission time at 9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he was stunned by the Artemis II splashdown.

"I'm still at a loss for words," he said. "The childhood Jared right now can't believe what I just saw."

Isaacman added that he "couldn't be more proud" of the entire NASA workforce and expressed gratitude for the NASA and U.S. Navy recovery teams.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, center, arrives on a U.S. Navy boat as teams prepare for the the return of the Artemis II crew members. Bill Ingalls / NASA

Isaacman praised the Artemis II astronauts, calling them "wonderful communicators" and "almost poets." He also said this is just the beginning for NASA's return-to-the-moon efforts.

"We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely," Isaacman said, adding that this is not meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime moment. "This is just the beginning."

NASA aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028, setting the stage to build a base there and establish a long-term presence on the moon.

NASA chief responds to successful Artemis II splashdown

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After working through some satellite phone issues, mission controllers gave the go-ahead to power down the Orion capsule. Recovery teams around the splashdown site are working to make sure that the area is safe of debris before they start preparing to open the hatch and retrieve the four astronauts inside.

When the astronauts exit the Orion capsule, they will step out onto a large, inflatable raft called the "front porch."

U.S. Navy divers who have arrived in small boats will deploy the "front porch" outside the capsule so the astronauts can get their sea legs and get used to the pull of Earth's gravity again.

Once the astronauts are safely on the front porch, it will be repositioned about 100 yards from the capsule so the crew members can be safely lifted up into helicopters and transported to the USS John P. Murtha, the U.S. Navy vessel waiting nearby.

The first fast boat has arrived on the scene.

Flight controllers are working to establish a working satellite phone signal between the astronauts and the recovery teams.

Wiseman said he can hear the recovery crews, but they do not appear to be able to him through the satellite phone.

Five airbags atop the Orion capsule have inflated to help keep the spacecraft upright in the Pacific Ocean as recovery teams approach the vehicle and begin their work.

NASA

Wiseman reported that all four crew members are in good condition.

"We are stable," he said. "Four green crew members."

The Artemis II mission officially lasted 9 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 35 seconds, according to NASA.

The Orion capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean upright, a picture-perfect ending to the record-breaking 10-day mission.

NASA

Artemis II splashes down in Pacific Ocean after 10-day mission

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The Artemis II astronauts are home.

The crew's Orion capsule safely splashed down at 8:07 p.m. ET, ending the record-breaking 10-day mission that took them around the moon.

The U.S. Navy is assisting with recovery efforts and teams will now begin to head to the splashdown site. Once the spacecraft and the surrounding area are deemed safe, recovery crews will begin opening the hatch and extracting the four astronauts.

NASA commentator Rob Navias marveled at the Orion capsule's smooth return to Earth so far.

"This is a perfect descent for Integrity," he said. "Its crew sounding hale and hearty on board."

The capsule's three main parachutes have now deployed, which will help slow the capsule to around 20 miles per hour just before it splashes down.

NASA

The Orion capsule's parachutes have deployed successfully. A perfect descent rate, NASA says.

NASA

The Orion is three minutes from splashdown. Parachutes just deployed.

Mission Control has reacquired communications with the Orion capsule, following a six-minute blackout period.

"Houston, Integrity. We have you loud and clear," Wiseman radioed.

Small boats are now en route to the targeted splashdown zone.

The live footage has been fantastic, but the people with the best view of Orion's re-entry might be those living on the International Space Station.

Jessica Meir, the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12, shared a look at the crew's stakeout of Orion.

Multiple helicopters in the splashdown area reported seeing the Orion capsule.

On NASA's livestream from the Orion capsule, the Earth could be seen turning below just before the spacecraft began its fiery plunge through the atmosphere.

NASA

Astronauts can expect to see what looks like flames out the window when they re-enter the atmosphere as the atmosphere puts friction on their capsule, creating intense heat.

NBC News Now’s Gadi Schwartz asked astronaut Andrew “Drew” R. Morgan to describe the experience.

"What’s it like? It’s a little bit like Mr. Toad’s wild ride," Morgan said, referring to the Disneyland amusement ride. "You are coming back to Earth and you’re coming back in a hurry. These guys are slowing down from Mach 33 to like 19 miles an hour before water. And so that’s a lot of deceleration."

Once the spacecraft hits the atmosphere, Morgan said, the particles in the air will begin to race by the windows.

"Once you hit that atmosphere, all that all the particles in the air start to race around the side of spacecraft. And they get super hot, up to 5,000 degrees in this case, and then they start to they start to burn," Morgan said. "So you’re surrounded by flames, and we’ve all seen it on every vehicle that comes back out of orbit to Earth experiences that plasma buildup and that flame covering the windows and the whole side of the spacecraft is pretty crazy."

Roughly 1 minute and 20 seconds into its atmospheric re-entry, the Orion capsule is now experiencing "peak heating," when it is exposed to the most extreme temperatures as it plunges through Earth's atmosphere. Temperatures can be up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during this time.

The Orion capsule is now traveling 34,800 feet per second as it plunges through Earth's atmosphere.

An expected communications blackout has begun, as the Orion capsule begins its journey through Earth's atmosphere. The blackout period is expected to last six minutes, because plasma building up on the outside of the capsule interferes with the ability for mission controllers to communicate with the astronauts on board.

The Orion capsule is beginning its fiery plunge through Earth's atmosphere.

This moment, known as "entry interface," began at 7:53 p.m. ET, and marked the start of perhaps the most nail-biting 14 minutes of the Artemis II mission. Just before entry interface, the capsule reached its maximum velocity of 23,864 miles per hour, according to NASA.

During re-entry, mission controllers are expecting a six-minute communications blackout as plasma builds up around the Orion spacecraft.

Every part of the Artemis II re-entry is carefully timed and choreographed. The plan requires the Orion capsule to remain on an extremely precise path in order for the spacecraft and its heat shield to effectively protect the astronauts from temperatures that can reach up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it streaks through Earth's atmosphere.

“Let’s not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly. Otherwise, we’re not going to have a successful re-entry,” Jeff Radigan, NASA’s Artemis II flight director, said Thursday at a news briefing.

Conditions at the splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean are looking great for splashdown. NASA commentator Rob Navias reported that there are some scattered clouds, winds at 10 knots and wave heights at just around 4 feet — all well within the agency's guidelines.

"A gentle day in the Pacific for the homecoming of Integrity astronauts," Navias said.

Wiseman reported catching a glimpse of the moon as he and his crewmates head back to Earth.

"We have a great view of the moon out the window," he radioed to Mission Control. "It's a little smaller than yesterday."

"Guess we'll have to go back," capcom Jacki Mahaffey replied.

NASA has launched a weather balloon from the USS John P. Murtha. The weather balloon will collect and transmit data to the Orion spacecraft recovery team.

The team is using a software tool called Sasquatch to calculate where debris will fall into the Pacific Ocean as Orion re-enters the atmosphere.

Parachutes and other hardware will be jettisoned from Orion as the capsule returns to Earth. The wind data from the weather balloon will help crews understand where that material will land.

The voice you're hearing in Mission Control speaking directly to the astronauts is Jacki Mahaffey. She is serving as today's capsule communicator, or capcom.

Before this, Mahaffey was the Artemis II chief training officer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Wiseman reported seeing the jettisoned service module as it separated from the crew module.

"We got a great view of the European Service Module out the window, with the sun hitting the side," he said. "It's a beautiful looking machine."

The Orion crew module fired its thrusters for 19 seconds to make a final adjustment to its return trajectory at 7:37 p.m. ET. The burn is designed to adjust the angle of the spacecraft for its entry through Earth's atmosphere.

The capsule will now begin a series of roll maneuvers to keep it safely away from the newly separated service module.

As planned, Orion's crew module — where the astronauts are seated and where they have been living for the past 10 days — separated from the capsule's service module at 7:33 p.m. ET.

The service module, which holds the 33 engines that propelled and steered the Orion spacecraft to the moon and back, is no longer needed for the final stages of the mission. The service module was built by the European Space Agency, one of NASA's partners in the Artemis program.

Service module separates from Orion as Artemis II heads home

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Jettisoning the service module means the Orion capsule's heat shield is now exposed in space for the first time. In about 20 minutes, the spacecraft will reach Earth's upper atmosphere, southeast of Hawaii. Before that, the capsule will fire its thrusters to raise itself out of the way of the service module, which is expected to burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

Mission controllers reported a "good hot fire test" of the Orion capsule's thrusters. The test, which involved firing the spacecraft's thrusters, was done to prepare for the separation of the capsule's service module, which is scheduled to occur at 7:33 p.m. ET.

After the service module is jettisoned, the thrusters will be used to raise the angle of the Orion crew module, putting it at the desired angle for its re-entry through Earth's atmosphere.

What's it like, as an astronaut, to return to Earth after a journey into space?

"When they open the hatch and they take that first first breath of California ocean air, it’s going to make you feel more like an Earthling than you ever have in your previous life," former NASA astronaut Steve Robinson told Hallie Jackson on NBC News Now. "It’s an amazing feeling to just smell something that wasn’t inside the spacecraft. It makes you just feel like, 'I’m home.'"

NASA and U.S. Navy recovery teams have been training for this moment for the past three years, said NASA flight surgeon Dr. Rick Scheuring.

"This is one of those days you’ve dreamt about, and now it’s finally here, and we’re ready and just thankful to be a part of it," he said during NASA's live broadcast.

He added that it's common for astronauts to feel nauseous and be a bit wobbly on their feet as they acclimate back to Earth's gravity. All four crew members will undergo medical evaluations after they are flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. Navy transport dock ship.

Once the Artemis II crew is floating in the water, the astronauts will have traveled a total of 694,481 miles, according to NASA.

For context, the Earth's circumference is about 24,901 miles. That means crew's trip is equivalent to nearly 28 trips around the Earth's surface.

The astronauts set a new record for the farthest distance from Earth any humans have ever traveled.

NASA is expecting the Orion spacecraft to land right side up in the Pacific Ocean, but if the capsule winds up bobbing upside down in the water, there are systems in place to fix that.

Regardless of how the capsule lands, five giant airbags will be inflated with helium at the top of the capsule to help keep it upright as recovery crews work to secure the spacecraft and prepare to extract the astronauts.

As the Artemis II astronauts descend through Earth's atmosphere, a sonic boom may be heard and felt across Southern California between 5 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. local time (8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Sonic booms sound like loud, thunderous bangs and occur when an aircraft or spacecraft flies overhead faster than the speed of sound. When a supersonic vehicle travels through the air, it generates a shock wave and cone of pressurized air molecules that spreads in all directions along the flight path and extends to the ground. When that pressure suddenly releases, it is heard as a sonic boom.

The USGS said that if anyone feels or hears a sonic boom, they can submit a "felt report" on the agency's website.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman radioed to Mission Control in Houston about the incredible views of Earth out the window of the Orion capsule.

"Christina's got an amazing view of home planet out the side window," he said. "It's lighting up the cabin and it's just a great blue hue to it. It's beautiful."

NASA said the Orion spacecraft, which its crew named Integrity, will reach a peak speed of 24,661 mph during its re-entry, nearing a record set in 1969, according to NASA.

NASA said the spacecraft will hit that speed at 7:54 p.m. Eastern, around the time of an expected communications blackout between the spacecraft and Mission Control.

The peak velocity was estimated by NASA's flight dynamics team. It is about 130 mph shy of the top velocity hit by Apollo 10 in 1969.

All four astronauts have put on their spacesuits and passed a series of leak checks, according to NASA.

The orange flight suits are worn during launch and splashdown and are designed to function as individual spacecraft should the Orion capsule lose pressurization. The suits all carry a supply of emergency oxygen and can scrub carbon dioxide from the environment, providing breathable air to the astronauts for up to six days, if needed.

After the crew splashes down off the San Diego coast, the U.S. military plans to help extract the astronauts from their spacecraft, which will be bobbing in the sea. Then, a team will recover the Orion crew capsule. 

“We’re ready to bring the astronauts home,” said Christopher Winn, a colonel with the Marine Corps, who is the U.S. 3rd Fleet's lead planner for the Artemis recovery mission.

Winn said that the weather looks promising.

The “wind looks good, sea height looks good, so we’re happy,” he said.

Winn said his team’s priority will be to stabilize the Orion capsule and make sure it’s safe to open. Then they’ll remove the astronauts and assess whether they need emergency medical care, which will be available on the nearby Navy vessel, the USS John P. Murtha.

“Job one is to make sure that they’re healthy” Winn said. 

After that, crews will bring the Orion capsule aboard the ship. Winn said the crews practiced the operation using a NASA training capsule earlier this year. 

“If we run the drill that we’re anticipating, it’ll be about six hours until we have the capsule back inside the ship,” Winn said. 

To prevent damage to the Orion capsule's heat shield similar to that discovered after the uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022, NASA has modified the spacecraft's re-entry path.

This time, the Orion capsule will descend at a steeper angle, reducing the spacecraft's exposure to the most extreme temperatures of re-entry from 20 minutes to 13.5 minutes, according to NASA. Temperatures while plunging through the atmosphere can reach 4,000 to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the crew of Artemis II prepares to return to Earth, the video below walks through the re-entry process, step by step, using augmented reality.

See Augmented Reality Visualization of Artemis II Re-entry to Earth

00:53

San Diego International Airport told residents of the city's coastal communities north of San Diego Bay that they could notice more air traffic as flights are diverted to make way for today's splashdown.

"If you're in Point Loma, Pacific Beach, or La Jolla this afternoon, you may notice a bit more aircraft noise than usual as flight paths out of SAN are temporarily adjusted for the Artemis II splashdown," it said on X.

The flight tracker FlightAware.com appeared to show flights hugging the Southern California coast and diverted north toward Orange County.

"The change will be brief," the airport's statement added.

Today is Day 10 — the final day — of the Artemis II mission. See the path the Orion capsule has taken through space so far:

Re-entering the atmosphere requires a well-coordinated dance from the Artemis II crew and from Mission Control. 

Because of concerns over Orion’s heat shield, NASA has chosen to send it on a shorter and more direct path through the atmosphere to reduce the time that that the spacecraft is exposed to extreme temperatures.

The process is quick and takes less than 35 minutes. Here’s how NASA says it’s supposed to go: 

At 7:33 p.m. ET, Orion’s crew module will separate from its service module, shedding the part that carried fuel and other supplies. This will expose the crew module’s heat shield for return to the atmosphere. 

Four minutes later, Orion will perform a “raise burn” to set up the crew module for re-entry.

At 7:53 p.m., Origin will be about 400,000 feet above the Earth’s surface and the astronauts will be pulling 3.9 Gs, if all goes to plan. For about six minutes, the astronauts will be out of communication with Mission Control. 

At 8:03 p.m., the first set of parachutes — called drogue parachutes — will deploy, at an altitude of about 22,000 feet. One minute later, three additional “main” parachutes will deploy. 

Four minutes later — at 8:07 p.m. — Orion will hit the Pacific. 

The crew will be taken out of the capsule and flown by helicopter to the U.S.S. John P. Murtha, an “amphibious transport dock” vessel with a well deck, a helicopter pad and medical facilities. 

A U.S. Navy dive team with expertise in salvage will help recover the Orion spacecraft and bring it to the vessel.

From the perspective of the Orion spacecraft, the Earth continues to grow larger as the crew prepares for their return.

The view from the Artemis II Orion capsule as it approaches Earth on Friday.  NASA

The Orion spacecraft fired its thrusters for 8 seconds at 2:53 p.m. ET, a maneuver designed to keep the capsule on the correct path for its return to Earth.

The short correction burn changed the spacecraft's velocity by 4.2 feet-per-second, pushing the capsule toward Earth, according to NASA.

The crew is now making sure the spacecraft's interior is properly configured for the rest of their journey home.

Weather at the splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, is looking good for this evening's splashdown, according to NASA.

The agency carefully monitors conditions before, during and after the scheduled splashdown to ensure that it will be safe for the returning astronauts and recovery teams. Typically, winds should not exceed 30 mph and wave heights should remain under 6 feet. Clear conditions are also ideal, with no forecasted precipitation or storms within 35 miles of the landing area.

The Artemis II astronauts woke up to two songs today. The first was "Run to the Water" by Live, which was the crew’s selection for their final wake up of the mission. The second was "Free" by the Zac Brown Band, alongside a message to the crew from Zac Brown.

"It takes courage, grit and freedom to chase the unknown. It’s the purest kind of American spirit. Millions back home are looking up and feeling more inspired because of you. Keep flying strong. Keep flying safe. We can’t wait to welcome you home. Come see us on the road," Brown said.

NASA has a long tradition of waking its astronaut crews up with songs each day during space missions. The use of these wakeup songs dates back to Project Gemini in the 1960s.

The Artemis II crew chose their wakeup songs ahead of the mission, and NASA has compiled them all into a Spotify playlist for those who want to listen.

One of the most dangerous and nerve-racking parts of the Artemis II mission is still ahead.

The crew's Orion capsule is scheduled to begin plunging through the atmosphere at around 7:53 p.m. ET on a fiery journey expected to last less than 15 minutes.

Re-entry is always one of the riskiest parts of spaceflight, as vehicles can be exposed to temperatures of around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit as they streak through the atmosphere. But that is particularly true for Artemis II, because the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield — the critical layer of thermal protection at the bottom that protects astronauts from extreme temperatures — has known flaws in its design.

This mission is the first time the capsule is carrying a crew.

After the Artemis I mission in 2022 — an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule — NASA found unexpected damage to the spacecraft’s heat shield.

Images from a NASA inspector general report showed missing chunks of the Artemis I heat shield, unexpected damage that occurred during its return to Earth.  NASA

The Artemis II astronauts, onboard their Orion spacecraft, are speeding towards Earth for their dangerous re-entry and splash landing. Here's what to know about their final preparations and the timeline for Orion’s return.

Artemis II Prepares its Return From Historic Moon Mission

02:50

It’s landing day for the Artemis II astronauts. 

Their Orion spacecraft is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean at about 8:07 p.m. ET, completing a 694,481-mile journey around the moon and back. 

The process will begin with a “return burn” at 2:53 p.m. to set the capsule on the proper course back to Earth, targeting a spot off the coast of San Diego. 

After that, all eyes will be on Orion’s heat shield as the vehicle prepares for re-entry. When the uncrewed Artemis I mission returned to Earth in 2022, the heat shield on that capsule got damaged as pressure built up behind its outer material. Because of that, NASA has modified the path that Orion will take through the atmosphere. For future Artemis missions, the agency is redesigning the heat shield.

Four lives hang in the balance.

During atmospheric re-entry, astronauts will feel nearly four times the force of Earth's gravity on their bodies. Temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit are expected outside the spacecraft. The crew will also experience a six-minute communications blackout period as plasma builds on the outside of Orion. 

After re-entering the atmosphere, the spacecraft will fall rapidly until about 6,000 feet above the sea, when three parachutes will deploy to slow Orion’s descent to about 20 mph.

After the vehicle hits the water, NASA and the U.S. Navy will pluck the astronauts from their 10-day home and welcome them back to Earth.