Artemis II Mission Journal: Live Technical Coverage

Mission elapsed time

Flight Day 10

Current phase

Mission complete

Mission status

✅ SPLASHDOWN COMPLETE

Final burn

8 seconds

4.2 feet-per-second change in velocity

Lunar sphere of influence

Completed ✅

Flyby April 6 · splashdown April 10

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Mission imagery

Orion photo album

Chronological record

Mission Journal

Flight Day 10 — April 10, 2026 (LIVE)

RE-ENTRY COMPLETE · SPLASHDOWN SUCCESS · NEWEST UPDATES FIRST

• 8:12 p.m. EDT — NASA confirmed Orion is in post-splashdown power-down and recovery configuration as teams prepare for crew extraction
• 8:07 p.m. EDT — SPLASHDOWN. Orion completed a parachute-assisted landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, returning Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen safely to Earth
• Just before splashdown — At 5,400 feet, Orion cut its drogues and deployed three main parachutes, reducing velocity to less than 200 feet per second
• Moments earlier — At 23,400 feet, Orion deployed its drogue parachutes to slow and stabilize the capsule at about 479 feet per second
• During entry — Orion hit the upper atmosphere at 400,000 feet, about 35 times the speed of sound, then passed through a planned six-minute communications blackout
• Before entry — Orion’s crew and service modules separated, and the service module was designed to burn up harmlessly over the Pacific
• Earlier Friday — The crew completed the final 8-second return burn, producing a 4.2 feet-per-second change in velocity to refine the path home
• NASA says the crew will be extracted from Orion, flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha, complete post-mission medical evaluations aboard ship, and then return to Houston

Sources: NASA final-burn update · NASA re-entry live updates

Flight Day 9 — April 9, 2026 (LIVE)

ENTRY PREP · RTC-2 SCHEDULED · NEWEST UPDATES FIRST

• 9:53 p.m. EDT — NASA says Orion is scheduled to perform the second of three planned return trajectory correction burns, with Jeremy Hansen monitoring guidance, navigation, and propulsion data during the maneuver
• The crew is spending its last full day in space stowing equipment, removing cargo and locker netting, and installing or adjusting seats to secure the cabin for Friday re-entry
• Ground and crew teams reviewed the latest weather briefing, recovery-force status, entry timeline, and post-landing procedures as Orion closed to 147,337 miles from Earth at wakeup
• NASA says Orion’s service module will separate about 20 minutes before entry, followed by a planned six-minute communications blackout during peak heating
• The landing profile remains unchanged: drogue parachutes are expected near 22,000 feet, main parachutes near 6,000 feet, and splashdown remains targeted for approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT Friday off San Diego
• Recovery teams expect to extract the crew within about two hours after splashdown and fly them by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha before the return to Houston
• Wakeup song: “Lonesome Drifter” by Charley Crockett

Source: NASA Artemis II Flight Day 9 blog

Flight Day 8 — April 8, 2026 (LIVE)

RETURN TESTS · ENTRY PREP · NEWEST UPDATES FIRST

• NASA updated its Flight Day 8 status to say flight controllers elected to forgo the planned 10:55 p.m. EDT manual piloting demonstration as Orion continues return-coast testing and entry preparations
• All four crew members are testing orthostatic intolerance garments worn under the Orion Crew Survival System suit to evaluate blood-pressure and circulation support for the transition back to Earth gravity
• To prepare the cabin for entry, teams also opted to forgo the originally planned radiation shielding deployment demonstration
• 10:45 p.m. EDT — NASA has scheduled a crew news conference from Orion during the return coast
• Thursday — The crew will begin stowing equipment and installing their seats ahead of Friday entry preparations
• At wakeup, Orion was 200,278 miles from Earth and 83,549 miles from the Moon. Wakeup song: “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie
• Next up: Splashdown remains targeted for approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 10 off the coast of San Diego

Source: NASA Artemis II Flight Day 8 blog

Flight Day 7 — April 7, 2026

RETURN COAST · HEADING HOME · NEWEST UPDATES FIRST

• 8:03 p.m. EDT — Orion ignited its thrusters for 15 seconds, producing a 1.6 feet-per-second change in velocity in the first of three planned return trajectory correction burns. Mission specialists Koch and Hansen reviewed procedures and monitored spacecraft systems as the burn refined the path toward an approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 10 splashdown off San Diego
• 4:30 p.m. EDT — NASA held a mission status briefing on NASA+ and YouTube, updating the public on the return-coast phase and confirming all spacecraft systems remain nominal
• 3:00 p.m. EDT — The crew conducted a lunar science debrief with ground teams, sharing observations from the historic flyby while impressions were still fresh. Staggered off-duty periods followed
• 2:40 p.m. EDT — Artemis II made a historic 15-minute ship-to-ship audio call with ISS Expedition 74 — the first real-time voice link between crews at the Moon and in low-Earth orbit. The Orion crew spoke with astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams, and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot
• 1:23 p.m. EDT — Orion exited the lunar sphere of influence, transitioning from the Moon’s gravitational dominance back to Earth’s. The crew is now fully on the return coast
• Morning — The White House and NASA publicly released the first flyby images, including the Earthset sequence and the solar eclipse photographed from Orion
• The crew woke 36,286 miles from the Moon and 236,022 miles from Earth, now more than halfway through the mission. Wakeup song: “Tokyo Drifting” by Glass Animals and Denzel Curry

Sources: NASA Artemis II Flight Day 7 return-coast blog · NASA return-burn update

Flight Day 6 — April 6, 2026

LUNAR FLYBY COMPLETE · RETURN LEG BEGINS · NEWEST UPDATES FIRST

• 9:35 p.m. EDT — The crew completed the lunar observation period and began the return trip home. NASA says Orion is expected to exit the lunar sphere of influence on Tuesday, April 7 at approximately 1:25 p.m. EDT, again at a distance of 41,072 miles from the Moon
• 8:35 p.m. EDT — Artemis II entered a roughly one-hour solar eclipse as Orion, the Moon, and the Sun aligned. The crew is using the opportunity to study the solar corona and watch for meteoroid impact flashes on the lunar surface
• 7:24 p.m. EDT — The crew witnessed Earthrise as Orion emerged from behind the Moon, moments before the Deep Space Network reacquired signal and restored communications
• 7:02 p.m. EDT — Artemis II reached its maximum distance from Earth at 252,756 miles, placing the crew 4,111 miles farther from Earth than Apollo 13 and setting a new record for human spaceflight
• 7:00 p.m. EDT — Closest approach confirmed. Orion passed about 4,067 miles above the lunar surface, traveling about 60,863 mph relative to Earth and 3,139 mph relative to the Moon
• 6:44 p.m. EDT — Orion entered its planned communications blackout behind the Moon. Just before loss of signal, pilot Victor Glover said: “As we prepare to go out of radio communication, we’re still going to feel your love from Earth. And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side.”
• 6:41 p.m. EDT — The crew witnessed Earthset, as Earth dropped below the lunar horizon
• 4:40 p.m. EDT — Active science observations continued, with the crew reporting color nuances, including shades of browns and blues that help scientists interpret mineral composition and surface age
• 2:45 p.m. EDT — Lunar observation period began. Near-side targets included Reiner Gamma and Glushko crater
• 1:56 p.m. EDT — Distance record broken. Artemis II surpassed Apollo 13’s 248,655-mile mark, becoming the farthest human mission from Earth in history
• After the record fell, the crew provisionally named two visible craters Integrity and Carroll, pending formal IAU submission after the mission
• Jeremy Hansen marked the moment by challenging the next generation to break this record soon
• 1:30 p.m. EDT — Lunar science officer briefed the crew on flyby objectives and the 30-target observation plan
• 1:00 p.m. EDT — Live NASA flyby coverage began across NASA+, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, HBO Max, and Roku
• The crew woke at 10:35 a.m. EDT just 18,830 miles from the Moon and heard a recorded message from the late Jim Lovell: “Welcome to my old neighborhood! … Don’t forget to enjoy the view.”

Flight Day 5 — April 5, 2026

SPACESUIT TEST · FINAL OTC BURN · LUNAR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

• At wakeup, Orion was ~65,235 miles from the Moon
• Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit demonstration: All four crew members completed pressurization, leak checks, simulated seat entry, mobility assessment, eating and drinking in suits
• Planned cabin depressurization activity deferred to later in the mission
• Mission control sent the crew the final list of 30 lunar surface observation targets, including Orientale basin (~600 mi wide, 3.8 billion years old) and Hertzsprung basin (~400 mi wide, far side, older and more degraded)
• 11:03 p.m. EDT — Final outbound trajectory correction (OTC) burn completed: 17.5-second firing. The first two planned OTC burns had been cancelled because the trajectory was already precise
• 12:37–12:41 a.m. EDT (April 6) — Entered the lunar sphere of gravitational influence at ~41,072 miles from the Moon
• “We are now falling to the Moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!” — Christina Koch

Flight Day 4 — April 4, 2026

MANUAL PILOTING · OTC-2 CANCELLED · ACOUSTICS TEST

• Wakeup song: “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan
• Position at wakeup: ~169,000 miles from Earth; Moon at ~110,700 miles
• 9:09 p.m. EDT — Manual piloting demonstration: Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen took manual control of Orion for 41 minutes, testing six-DOF and three-DOF thruster modes in deep space
• Second planned OTC burn cancelled — trajectory remained precise
• 24-hour acoustics test began to characterize the sound environment inside the spacecraft
• Crew reviewed the lunar science team’s updated target list for the flyby
• Crew selfies captured using one of Orion’s solar array wing cameras
• Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System surpassed 100 GB of data downlinked via laser comms

Flight Day 3 — April 3, 2026

OUTBOUND COAST · OTC-1 CANCELLED · SCIENCE PREP

• Wakeup at 1 p.m. EDT to “…In a Daydream” by the Freddy Jones Band
• Position at wakeup: ~99,900 statute miles from Earth; Moon at ~161,750 statute miles
• First outbound trajectory correction (OTC) burn cancelled — Orion’s trajectory was already precise enough that the planned 8-second, 0.7 fps burn was unnecessary
• Lunar science team selected geologic features for flyby observation: the full Orientale basin, Pierazzo crater, and Ohm crater
• Crew configured handheld cameras with 80–400 mm and 14–24 mm lenses for lunar photography
• Cabin setup rehearsal for the six-hour observation window
• CPR and choking-response demonstration completed

Flight Day 2 — April 2, 2026

APOGEE RAISE · TOILET FAULT · TLI BURN

• Crew awakened for apogee raise burn prep; the ESM OMS engine fired to lift the orbit’s high point, establishing correct geometry for TLI
• Toilet fault resolved: During configuration ahead of the apogee raise burn, the crew reported a blinking fault light on the waste management system. Working with mission control, they restored it to normal operations
• Crew began using Orion’s flywheel exercise device (~30 lbs, carry-on suitcase size, supports up to 400 lbs of load)
• Mission management team polled “Go” for translunar injection
• 7:49 p.m. EDT — Translunar injection (TLI) burn: Orion’s service module main engine fired for 5 minutes 50 seconds, burning ~1,000 lbs of propellant. Spacecraft mass: ~58,000 lbs. Engine thrust: up to 6,000 lbs. NASA called the burn nominal
• With TLI complete, the crew became the first humans to leave Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — 53 years ago
• “With that successful TLI, crew’s feeling pretty good up here on our way to the moon… Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon.” — Jeremy Hansen

Flight Day 1 — April 1, 2026

LAUNCH · EARTH ORBIT · PROXIMITY OPS

• 6:35 p.m. EDT — SLS launched from LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Orion spacecraft and four crew members: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (CSA)
• Solid rocket boosters separated, core stage separated, ICPS insertion nominal
• Orion solar array deployment confirmed
• Perigee raise maneuver completed using the ICPS to refine Earth orbit geometry
• ~11:37 p.m. EDT — Proximity operations demonstration completed: Pilot Victor Glover manually flew Orion through approach-and-retreat maneuvers using the detached ICPS as a reference target over ~70 minutes, testing translational and rotational hand controllers at distances down to ~30 feet
• Following the demo, Orion executed an automated departure burn; the ICPS performed a disposal burn to deorbit over the Pacific