Artemis II has completed its lunar flyby, and with that, the crew is set to return to Earth on Friday, April 10. The team — consisting of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen— orbited the moon and captured stunning photos from their vantage point, helping pave the way for the future of space exploration. Astronomy enthusiasts back home are counting down the seconds until the Artemis II splashdown time and want to know how they can tune in to watch the historical moment.
Koch and Glover made history as the first woman and Black man, respectively, to travel near the moon, though neither of them focused on their individual achievements. Before they set off, the teammates emphasized the importance of their group’s effort.
“It’s not about celebrating any one individual,” Koch pointed out during the crew’s pre-launch press conference. “If there’s something to celebrate, it’s that we are at a time when anyone who has a dream gets to work equally hard to achieve that dream. If we’re not going for all and by all, we’re not truly answering all of humanity’s call to explore.”
Glover echoed Koch’s sentiment, saying, “I live in this dichotomy between happiness that a young woman can look at Christina and just physicalize her passion or her interests … that young brown boys and girls can look at me and go, ‘Hey, he looks like me, and he’s doing what?’ And that’s great. I love that.”
“But I also hope we are pushing the other direction, that one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts, that one day this is human history, the story of humanity, not Black history, not women’s history,” Glover pointed out.
Wiseman also had an emotional moment during their mission. He and the crew named a moon crater after his late wife, Carroll Wiseman, who died of breast cancer in 2020. She is survived by two daughters, Ellie and Katie.
Below, find out what time the Artemis II splashdown is and more about their landing.
How to Watch the Artemis 2 Splashdown
You can watch the Artemis II Orion capsule splashdown on NASA TV, YouTube, Netflix and other cable news networks that offer live streaming, such as ABC News. NASA will begin its live coverage at around 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT.
What Time Is the Artemis 2 Splashdown?
The Orion capsule of Artemis II is expected to splash down at 8:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. PT on Friday, April 10.
Where Is Artemis 2 Landing? Splashdown Site
Artemis II is targeting a splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California, in the Pacific Ocean.
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