NASA's Artemis II returns April 10 facing 5,000F re-entry heat
NASA's Artemis II crew is coming home on April 10, 2026, wrapping up the first lunar mission in over 50 years.
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will face a wild ride back: think 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit heat and speeds of 40250km/h as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
The Orion spacecraft's heat shield is their main line of defense after the comparable heat shield on the uncrewed Artemis I mission returned damaged with a chunk missing.
Navy recovers crew for medical checks
Once they splashdown near San Diego, the crew will be picked up by the US Navy for medical checks and recovery.
After 10 days in microgravity, astronauts can struggle with balance and muscle weakness, sometimes even just walking feels weird at first.
NASA has special routines to help them bounce back, but full recovery can take months.