Technology deepakkumar April 9, 2026 0 Comments

🚀 NASA ,Artemis Return to Earth: Latest Update

By – SeenNews24 || Educaton Desk || Thursday 2 : 31pm

NASA’s Artemis Return II crew is now in the final return phase after completing their historic lunar flyby. The Orion spacecraft is expected to perform its most dangerous step yet — high-speed re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, creating a blazing plasma “fireball” around the capsule before splashdown.

🌍 Artemis Return Splashdown Time & Location

NASA is currently targeting Friday, April 10 at 8:07 PM ET for splashdown.
The Orion capsule is expected to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. Recovery teams and the USS John P. Murtha are already in position for astronaut pickup.

Screenshot_9-4-2026_143615_chatgpt.com_ 🚀 NASA ,Artemis Return to Earth: Latest Update

🔥 Why Re-entry Is So Dangerous

During re-entry:

Orion will travel at around 25,000 mph
Heat shield temperatures may reach ~5,000°F (about 2,760°C)
A bright plasma glow forms around the spacecraft
Communication blackout may happen for a few minutes

This is the biggest safety test before future Moon landing missions.

Screenshot_9-4-2026_14364_chatgpt.com_ 🚀 NASA ,Artemis Return to Earth: Latest Update

👨‍🚀 Crew on Board

The four astronauts returning are:

Reid Wiseman
Victor Glover
Christina Koch
Jeremy Hansen

They have become the farthest-traveling humans in history, reaching around 252,000 miles from Earth during the lunar flyby.

🎥 Watch BBC / NASA Coverage

BBC and NASA are both covering the return live.
A good explainer video is here:

NASA live coverage starts about 6:30 PM ET before splashdown.

🌕 Why This Mission Matters

Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed Moon flyby in more than 50 years, and this return test is critical for future human Moon landings and Mars missions.

If Orion lands safely, it becomes a huge milestone for the next Artemis missions.