Artemis II commander shouts out Orion global effort
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman gave a shoutout to teams around the world for their role in creating the Orion spacecraft.
"We just want to give a huge shoutout to that ESA [European Space Agency] Airbus team, to our friends in the Netherlands and Germany and at the Glenn Research Center," Wiseman said. "This vehicle powered us and propelled us from the Earth to the moon and back with extreme precision, and we are excited to be a part of your team."
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado
Apr 10, 2026, 3:15 PM EDT
Final trajectory correction burn completed
Orion completed its final return correction burn successfully at 2:53 p.m. ET.
This burn ensures the spacecraft maintains the proper trajectory back to Earth.
The crew and service module will separate and reveal the Orion heat shield at 7:33 p.m. ET.
Artemis II astronauts, Commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover sit at the controls of the Orion spacecraft as it travels to Earth ahead of splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, April 10, 2026.
NASA
-ABC News' Matthew Glasser
Apr 10, 2026, 2:45 PM EDT
Weather criteria required for splashdown
Splashdown remains tentatively scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, likely within 100 miles of the San Diego coast, according to NASA. However, the exact timing could still change depending on various conditions.
Weather-wise, it's still looking like a go with no big changes to the forecast at this time. The criteria required for splashdown are expected to be met off the coast of San Diego. Rain should remain well to the north of the region, and clouds shouldn't exceed the safety threshold.
View of the USS John P. Murtha flight deck is seen from the air boss tower ahead of the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, April 9, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
While conditions continue to look favorable, weather and ocean conditions will remain closely monitored right up to retry to determine if any small trajectory shifts are required to ensure the Orion spacecraft arrives home in the most favorable conditions possible.
Weather criteria needed for a nominal splashdown and recovery, according to NASA, are:
-Significant wave height must be less than six feet -No precipitation or lightning within 35 miles -Winds under 28 mph -Good visibility and minimal cloud cover below a certain height
Artemis II splashdown corridor off the coast of California.
NASA
-ABC News' Daniel Peck
Apr 10, 2026, 1:41 PM EDT
Why the crew will lose communication with mission control during reentry
The Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings, April 7, 2026.
NASA
When the Artemis II crew begins reentry into Earth's atmosphere, the world will need to wait about six minutes for that proof -- the length of time that Mission Control will lose communication with the astronauts.
Unlike the 40-minute loss of communications experienced when the Orion crew module passed behind the moon, which physically blocked radio signals from reaching the spacecraft, loss of communication during reentry results from Orion's passage through Earth's atmosphere.
