Artemis II Astronauts Prepare for Reentry, Splashdown

Preparations are underway for the record-breaking spacecraft to splash down in the Pacific Ocean shortly after 8 p.m. ET on April 10.

The Artemis II crew—(L–R) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman—inside the Orion spacecraft Integrity on their way home on April 7, 2026. (Courtesy of NASA).

HOUSTON—When Artemis II crew members wake up at 11:35 a.m. ET on April 9, they will begin their last full day in space and start preparing the cabin for their return home.

NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, continue to fall back to Earth on a free return trajectory aboard their Orion spacecraft, Integrity, targeting a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at about 8:05 p.m. ET on April 10.