Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft departs lunar gravity, crew heads home
Technology
Artemis 2 astronauts are officially on their way back to Earth after making history with the first human trip around the Moon in over 50 years.
Late Tuesday, their Orion spacecraft left the Moon's gravity and started cruising toward home, a big moment for space exploration.
Orion will use skip re-entry
The crew will tweak their course to hit just the right angle for re-entry, avoiding any risky bounces or overheating.
On April 10, Orion will dive into Earth's atmosphere at a blazing 40,000km per hour using a "skip re-entry" move to keep things safe.
The mission wraps up with a Pacific Ocean splashdown near San Diego early April 11, where a Navy team will be ready to bring them (and their capsule) safely back.