The riskiest moments of NASA's Artemis II mission may still be ahead
By Denise Chow
Published on April 9, 2026.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are set to return to Earth on Friday evening after a 10-day mission on the Artemis II mission. Their Orion capsule is set to begin plunging through the atmosphere at around 7:53 p.m. ET on a fiery journey expected to last less than 15 minutes. If all goes well, the mission will culminate in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego. This is due to unexpected damage to the spacecraft's heat shield after the Artemis I mission in 2022, which NASA found caused during an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. NASA has modified the heat shield design for future Artemis flights to include a more permeable layer of outer material. However, there are significant risks and four lives are at risk. The re-entry plan requires the Orion capsule to remain on its trajectory and avoid any potential engine burns.
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