Artemis II nears end of historic mission with splashdown off California coast

SAN DIEGO, California – The Artemis II ngo to the satellite is nearing completion, but archetypal comes a harmless splashdown disconnected the San Diego coast.

The Orion spacecraft, carrying 4 astronauts, is expected to instrumentality Friday, with the U.S. Navy helping retrieve the capsule and unit from the Pacific Ocean.

San Diego, a metropolis with heavy Navy roots, is playing a cardinal relation successful that effort. Several bases successful the country are helping pb the recovery, bringing a consciousness of pridefulness and excitement to the community.

Locals and visitors from crossed the state are expected to stitchery on the coastline and astatine museums passim the country to witnesser the crew’s homecoming.

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A sailboat passes successful beforehand of the San Diego skyline arsenic the metropolis prepares for the Artemis II splashdown disconnected the coast. (FOX)

"We’re backmost successful the crippled of heavy space," said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum. "You spell backmost to General Patton, World War II, you know, Americans emotion a winner… and volition not tolerate a loser."

The ngo marks the latest section successful abstraction exploration, wrapping up, astatine slightest for now, disconnected the Southern California coast.

The astronauts aboard Orion are connected their mode location aft traveling astir the moon, reaching much than 252,000 miles from Earth.

"I deliberation radical person been rejuvenated by 1 connection that’s going connected successful abstraction today, and that’s the moon," Kidrick added.

In this representation provided by NASA, Artemis II unit members, from left, Victor Glover Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, intermission to crook the camera astir for a selfie midway done their lunar reflection play of the Moon during a lunar flyby, Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)

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At the museum, the communicative of the Apollo programme is erstwhile again beforehand and center, arsenic attraction shifts backmost to heavy abstraction much than 50 years later.

"There are truthful many…historic moments that person happened. So it’s benignant of chill to conscionable beryllium a portion of 1 of them," said Abigail Lawrence, who is visiting from Utah.

Others visiting San Diego for the splashdown shared akin excitement.

A spacesuit associated with Neil Armstrong is displayed astatine the San Diego Air and Space Museum, highlighting the bequest of the Apollo era. (FOX)

"You cognize what? What could beryllium amended than coming backmost to San Diego? I don’t know, I can’t deliberation of anything. Anything," said Sheila Haas.

San Diego-based sailors are besides connected the beforehand lines, moving with NASA to retrieve the Orion capsule from the Pacific and bring it aboard the USS John P. Murtha, a Navy landing level dock (LPD).

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"I’m conscionable blessed to spot that the Navy is capable to usage an LPD for specified a peaceful mission," said Navy seasoned David Haas. "The LPD are bully each astir ships for each sorts of things. And truthful it conscionable makes maine happy."

After re-entry, Navy betterment teams volition unafraid the spacecraft and assistance the unit retired safely.

"Our Navy certainly, with the NASA rescue team, each making definite that those astronauts decorativeness up that ngo wonderfully good and precise safely," Kidrick said.

Back astatine the Air and Space Museum, thousands of eyes are expected to beryllium connected the entity Friday evening, with a consciousness of anticipation that a caller procreation volition proceed the propulsion into heavy space.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum nether agleam sunlight up of the Artemis II splashdown. (FOX )

"We tin assistance inspire, educate, get them excited… those young boys and girls who are truly going to beryllium those adjacent generations," Kidrick said. "There can’t conscionable beryllium 1 top generation…The generations that travel you are gonna person a fantastic aboriginal due to the fact that idiosyncratic volition onshore connected Mars." 

For Artemis II to onshore disconnected the San Diego coast, determination cannot beryllium immoderate rainfall oregon thunderstorms wrong 35 miles of the splashdown zone.

Forecasters are presently monitoring a tempest successful the Pacific, but truthful far, conditions for Friday look to beryllium connected track.