The most critical phase of the Artemis II mission is set to unfold on Friday as the Orion spacecraft makes its reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This event marks the return of the astronauts, and it is considered the most perilous part of their journey.

NASA teams are diligently working to ensure the safe return of the four astronauts. On Thursday, officials at Mission Control expressed confidence about the scheduled splashdown, as shared with ABC13. The anticipated return is the culmination of a successful mission, which they aim to conclude safely.

When and where will Artemis II splashdown?

According to NASA’s website, the Orion spacecraft is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and land in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at approximately 7:07 p.m. CDT on Friday, April 10. This corresponds to 8:07 p.m. EDT and 5:07 p.m. PDT.

As Orion approaches Earth, its service module will detach around 6:33 p.m. CDT, roughly 20 minutes before the spacecraft enters the upper atmosphere. Shortly thereafter, a crucial maneuver will be performed to fine-tune Orion’s trajectory toward its designated landing site, involving a series of roll maneuvers to ensure precision.

The spacecraft and its crew are expected to reach a maximum speed of about 23,864 miles per hour just before it enters the atmosphere, according to NASA’s projections.

To safely slow down the spacecraft, the first set of parachutes will deploy at an altitude of approximately 22,000 feet at 7:03 p.m. CDT. Additional parachutes will open as Orion descends to around 6,000 feet, further decelerating the spacecraft for a safe landing.

The crew is expected to be extracted from Orion and flown to the USS John P. Murtha within two hours of landing, where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations.

How will the Artemis II crew re-enter Earth?

While America’s 250th anniversary is three months away, NASA is planning to start the fireworks early with pyrotechnics that will help slow the Orion spacecraft before splashdown.

“Basically, we pack a shoot into a bag, stuff it into a cannon, plug some pyrotechnics into the back of it and blast them out into the airstream,” Jared Daum, Artemis II parachute system manager, said.

Eyewitness News got a close look at the technology on board the Orion spacecraft that will help get the astronauts back home to Earth.

Daum said there are four series of parachutes that go off with a bang. They’re essential to slowing the spacecraft, which is expected to go from 400,000 feet to the Pacific Ocean in just 13 minutes at speeds up to 35,000 feet per second.

What happens when the astronauts are back home?

The team at Mission Control in Houston is making sure everything goes according to plan when the Artemis II crew returns to our planet.

Teams at the Johnson Space Center were tasked with developing tools to test astronauts’ balance shortly after they return to Earth.

Jason Norcross, an extra-vehicular activities and environmental physiology laboratory senior scientist, said that while the mission lasted only a week and a half, it could take days for the astronauts to overcome some disorientation.

“You’ll often see the astronauts as they move, they’ll tend to keep their head and body kind of robotically together. That’s a way to prevent motion sickness,” Norscross said.

What’s next for NASA?

When the Artemis II crew is back on solid ground again, they will board an aircraft bound for Houston’s Johnson Space Center to put the finishing touches on the Artemis II mission.

After the splashdown years in the making, NASA officials hope that Artemis II is the mission that gets humans one step closer to landing on the moon again.

“It’s a big deal. I’m super excited,” Daum expressed.