NASA's Artemis II Splashdown Time Confirmed For Sunday Afternoon

NASAs Artemis II Splashdown Time Confirmed For Sunday Afternoon...

NASA has announced that the Artemis II Orion capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 2:35 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 12, marking the end of its historic uncrewed test flight around the Moon. The event is drawing national attention as the critical final step before NASA sends astronauts on the same trajectory in 2025.

The splashdown location will be approximately 50 miles off the coast of San Diego, where recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy are already prepositioned. Viewers can watch live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on NASA TV, the agency's website, and major news networks.

This mission is trending today because it represents America's first return to lunar-distance spaceflight since Apollo 17 in 1972. The successful completion of Artemis II would clear the way for NASA's planned 2025 crewed mission (Artemis III) that aims to land astronauts near the Moon's south pole.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the splashdown "the moment of truth" for the new spacecraft's heat shield, which must withstand 5,000-degree Fahrenheit temperatures during reentry. The Orion capsule traveled nearly 1.4 million miles during its 25.5-day journey, testing systems crucial for future crewed missions.

Coastal communities in Southern California may hear sonic booms as the capsule breaks the sound barrier during descent. The USS John P. Murtha will lead recovery operations, deploying divers and small boats to secure the spacecraft within two hours of splashdown.

Public interest has surged with over 3.2 million people tracking the mission via NASA's Artemis Real-Time Orbit Website. The agency will hold a post-splashdown news conference at 5 p.m. EDT Sunday to discuss initial findings from the recovered spacecraft.