Industry
Here's what to expect from the fiery, 14-minute return of Artemis II
NASA's Artemis II Orion capsule completed its reentry on April 10, 2026, entering Earth's upper atmosphere at approximately 7:53 p.m. EDT traveling at nearly 24,000 mph, subjecting the spacecraft t...
NASA's Artemis II Orion capsule completed its reentry on April 10, 2026, entering Earth's upper atmosphere at approximately 7:53 p.m. EDT traveling at nearly 24,000 mph, subjecting the spacecraft to temperatures up to 5,000°F and the crew to up to 3.9 Gs. During reentry, mission controllers expected a six-minute communications blackout as plasma built up around the Orion spacecraft. After emerging from blackout, Orion jettisoned its forward bay cover, deployed drogue parachutes near 22,000 feet, and then unfurled its three main parachutes around 6,000 feet to slow the capsule for splashdown off the coast of San Diego. Re-entry was considered particularly risky for Artemis II due to known design flaws in Orion's heat shield, but the astronauts emerged from the capsule safe and in high spirits.
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Source: industry