Artemis II astronauts prepare for Friday evening splashdown

Key Points:

• NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hailed the Artemis II mission as historic, emphasizing that the U.S. is "back in the business" of sending astronauts to the moon and plans to establish a permanent moon base by 2028 with Artemis III.
• The Artemis II crew is preparing for splashdown off the San Diego coast at 8:07 p.m. ET, with NASA reporting a "perfect" return trajectory burn and favorable weather conditions for a safe landing.
• NASA highlighted the critical 13-minute re-entry phase, during which a series of precise maneuvers and parachute deployments must succeed to ensure the crew's safe return, with expected peak temperatures around 5,000°F on the heat shield.
• A Navy dive recovery team will greet the astronauts immediately after splashdown to conduct medical evaluations and assist their transfer to the USS John P. Murtha, where further health checks will take place.
• Safety remains NASA's top priority; the heat shield was redesigned into a hexagonal shape after damage was found in the Artemis I mission, and extensive testing has been conducted to ensure crew protection during the intense re-entry.