Artemis II crew safely splashes down in Pacific

NASA’s Artemis II crew has safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California after a rapid descent through the atmosphere.The historic 10-day mission took the crew farther from Earth than any humans before them.

Successful splashdown

The Orion capsule, carrying Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, hit the atmosphere at 40,000km/h, more than 30 times the speed of sound, before parachuting into the ocean shortly after 10am AEST on Saturday.

The capsule’s heat shield was designed to withstand extreme conditions during re-entry, shedding material to protect the astronauts inside.

The mission marks a significant achievement in space exploration history.

The Artemis II astronauts travelled over 405,000km from Earth, breaking a 56-year-old record set by Apollo 13 and becoming the first humans to orbit the Moon since the Apollo missions.

Next steps

This voyage is vital for NASA’s long-term ambitions to return humans to the Moon and eventually travel to Mars.

Commander Reid Wiseman has highlighted the mission as indicative of a new era in space travel, showcasing what can be achieved through international collaboration.

After splashdown, five airbags deployed to stabilise the capsule in rough waters while the crew awaited recovery.

Recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. Navy tracked the capsule and other dropped equipment, including the main parachutes.

Minor issues with the satellite phone communication with recovery teams have been reported but are not significant compared to the overall mission success.

Navy divers are preparing to assess the safety of the capsule for the astronauts to exit and will implement measures for secure recovery.