The Artemis II crew, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman (50), Artemis II commander; NASA astronaut Victor Glover (49), Artemis II pilot; NASA astronaut Christina Koch (47), Artemis II mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen (50), Artemis II mission specialist, made history on April 06 by traveling the furthest humanity has ever at 252,756 miles away from Earth during their seven-hour-long historic lunar flyby. The crew aboard the Orion spaceship was launched into space on April 01, 2026 for a 10-day journey to the far side of the moon and back. After the successful completion of the mission, the Integrity crew is heading back home at the speed of 3250 km/h.
The spacecraft will make an atmospheric reentry on April 10, 2026, where NASA & US Navy crews will salvage the capsule with the astronauts from the Pacific ocean. The US Navy has already deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) for the recovery mission.
Meanwhile, MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 will assist NASA with imagery support throughout the Orion reentry and splashdown event. HSC-23 helicopters will recover the astronauts while navy divers of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 will recover and transport the Orion capsule . A US Navy medical crew will also be at the site.
✅ #Artemis II update: Day 8, Orion picking up speed at 3250 km/h, 295 118 km from Earth and 152 470 km from the Moon. Image of the European Service Module, 7 April 2026 (pic: NASA). Track at https://t.co/ui4ffrxn1q pic.twitter.com/2QgC5zkAT4
— European Space Agency (@esa) April 8, 2026
🚨📰 #USNAVY UPDATE: USS John P. Murtha to support NASA’s Artemis II mission
SAN DIEGO – Amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is slated to serve as the recovery ship for the Orion spacecraft and its crew upon their return from the historic Artemis II… pic.twitter.com/eMUDr04rhP
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) April 8, 2026
In India you can watch the event live on all of NASA’s official social media channels and YouTube livestream. The reentry is scheduled at around 08:07 PM EDT on April 10, 2026 or at 5:30 AM on April 11, 2026
See Also: NASA’s Pawsome Reaction To Kitty Watching Artemis II Lunar Flyby Has The Internet Meowing With Memes
Cover: NASA