Follow our blog for the latest as the Artemis II mission returns to Earth:
Why the Artemis II mission matters
The successful return to Earth would clear the way for the Artemis III mission, which could see humans back on the Moon. Without a clean return, NASA will not move forward with crewed landings.
The crew's return would confirm that NASA can bring astronauts safely back from beyond the Moon.
It would be the fastest and hottest crewed reentry since the Apollo 13 mission 56 years ago.
When does the Artemis crew arrive back on earth?
The Artemis II mission is set to end with a water landing in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego in southern California. Splashdown is planned for April 10, shortly after 8 p.m. US Eastern Time (0100 GMT).
Water landings allow NASA to recover the capsule intact for inspection.
The recovery effort will involve US Navy ships and divers to secure the spacecraft. The astronauts will be helped out and then flown to a Navy ship, and following medical checks, will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The lunar flyby conducted by the crew of Artemis II garnered a lot of attention after breaking the record for the farthest any humans had traveled into space.
But that was by no means the end of the mission. The return to earth is the riskiest and most critical phase. Everything needs to work perfectly — and they only have one attempt to get it right.
We'll be following the crew as they endeavor to return to Earth safely.
