Artemis II Splashdown Live Streaming: Watch Online Telecast As NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Splash Down in the Pacific Ocean

NASA's historic Artemis II mission is scheduled to conclude tomorrow, April 11, with a high-stakes splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The return of the Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, marks the successful completion of the first crewed mission to the lunar vicinity in over 50 years. This 10-day flight serves as a critical final test of NASA's deep-space systems before the agency attempts to land humans on the Moon's surface during Artemis III.

Splashdown Schedule and Re-entry Timeline

The Orion capsule, named Integrity by its crew, is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 PM EDT (5:07 PM PDT). For viewers in India, the event will occur at 5:37 AM IST on Saturday, April 11. The re-entry process is one of the most hazardous phases of the mission. Orion will hit Earth's upper atmosphere at approximately 24,000 mph (nearly 40,000 km/h). NASA Artemis II Mission To Conclude with Pacific Splashdown Today, Nearing End of Its Journey.

During this "fireball" descent, the spacecraft's heat shield will endure temperatures reaching 2,700 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit). A planned six-minute communications blackout is expected at 7:53 PM EDT as plasma forms around the capsule, followed by a multi-stage parachute deployment to slow the craft for its final water landing.

Artemis II Crew and Mission Objectives

The mission is led by Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch (NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency). During their journey, the quartet travelled approximately 252,760 miles from Earth, breaking the distance record for human spaceflight previously held by the Apollo 13 crew. Artemis II was designed to verify the Orion spacecraft's life support, communication, and navigation systems in a deep-space environment. While the crew did not land on the Moon, they conducted a lunar flyby, coming within 4,000 miles of the lunar surface to capture scientific data and test manual flight manoeuvres. Artemis II Astronauts Prepare to Return to Earth.

Watch NASA Artemis II Crew's Splashdown Here

Artemis II Recovery Operations and Next Steps

A joint recovery team comprising NASA personnel and the US Navy is already stationed in the Pacific aboard the USS John P. Murtha. Once splashdown is confirmed, divers and specialised watercraft will secure the capsule. The astronauts will be extracted and flown by helicopter to the recovery ship for immediate medical evaluations before being transported back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The data gathered during this mission will be vital for the Artemis III mission, currently targeted for 2027, which aims to land the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar South Pole.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2026 03:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).