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Artemis II Splashdown and Pacific Recovery Explained

Orion splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT on April 10, 2026. NASA and U.S. military teams extracted the four astronauts, flew them to USS John P. Murtha for medical checks, and recovered the capsule for post-flight inspection.

Timeline

  1. 2026-04-10: Orion completed its final trajectory-correction burn before re-entry.
  2. 2026-04-10: The capsule splashed down off San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT, or 5:07 p.m. PDT.
  3. 2026-04-10: Recovery teams extracted the crew and transported them by helicopter to USS John P. Murtha.
  4. 2026-04-11: The secured Orion capsule and crew recovery moved into post-flight transport and evaluation.

Artemis II ended with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT, or 5:07 p.m. local Pacific time, on April 10, 2026. Inside Orion were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The landing completed a mission lasting just over nine days and began a coordinated sea recovery involving NASA and U.S. military teams. [1][2][3]

The return began well before the capsule reached the atmosphere. Orion conducted a final eight-second trajectory-correction burn at 2:53 p.m. EDT, changing its velocity by 4.2 feet per second and refining its path toward Earth. During descent, two drogue parachutes stabilized and slowed the capsule; after those released, three main parachutes deployed. NASA’s live log says the mains guided Orion to the water at about 20 mph after the heat shield and spacecraft systems had managed the high-energy re-entry. [1][4]

Splashdown was only the first stage of recovery. Flight controllers powered down nonessential spacecraft systems while inflatable boats approached at the recovery director’s instruction. Divers and recovery personnel helped the astronauts leave Orion into an inflatable raft known as the front porch. NASA recorded the four crew members as safely extracted at 9:34 p.m. EDT, about 87 minutes after splashdown, following planned checks while the capsule remained in the water. [1][5]

Helicopters then carried the astronauts to the amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha. The crew was aboard the ship by 9:58 p.m. EDT and entered its medical bay for post-mission evaluations. That sequence explains why reports distinguish splashdown time from crew recovery time: the astronauts were back on Earth at 8:07 p.m., but safe extraction, transport and initial medical checks continued afterward as separate operational milestones. [1][3][5]

Recovering Orion required a different process. Navy divers attached a winch line and tending lines so the capsule could be pulled into a specially designed cradle in the ship’s well deck. Teams then drained the deck and secured the spacecraft. NASA’s live updates say Orion was secured aboard the Murtha before the ship returned to Naval Base San Diego, allowing engineers to prepare the capsule for transport to Kennedy Space Center and detailed post-flight examination. [1][6]

The recovery operation supported engineering as well as crew safety. Technicians planned to retrieve recorded data and payloads, inspect the spacecraft and compare its condition with predictions. NASA’s initial assessment said the recovery team and military partners completed the operation successfully, while later analysis would use mission data to improve future flights. A safe splashdown therefore closed the crew’s journey but did not end the mission’s technical work. [1][6]

The durable answer to where and when Artemis II returned is the Pacific off San Diego on April 10, 2026, at 5:07 p.m. PDT. The four astronauts were extracted that evening and taken to USS John P. Murtha; Orion followed into the ship’s well deck. These times and steps come from NASA’s operational log and post-mission record. Descriptions of the recovery as efficient are assessments, while the location, sequence and recorded times are established mission facts. [1][2][3][5]

Sources

  1. NASA — Artemis II Flight Day 10 live re-entry updates
  2. NASA — Artemis II splashdown and recovery
  3. NASA — Artemis II mission overview
  4. NASA — Crew completes final burn before splashdown
  5. NASA — Artemis II astronauts aboard USS John P. Murtha
  6. NASA — Initial Artemis II assessments

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