Artemis II crew prepares for fiery return to Earth
April 10, 2026
Sky News Australia
The Artemis II crew is preparing for a historic return to Earth after successfully completing a mission around the moon. The astronauts are travelling in their Orion capsule at nearly 39,000 km/h, facing a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at almost 40 times the speed of sound before slowing to a 20-mph touchdown. The heat shield must withstand thousands of degrees during re-entry, and mission control will experience a six–to ten-minute communication blackout before parachutes deploy.
Recovery operations are set off the coast of San Diego, with the USS John P Murtha, military planes, and helicopters standing by. The Orion capsule is fully autonomous, with astronauts only taking manual control in an emergency. The mission has been celebrated as a landmark achievement in human spaceflight.
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