Apr 10, 2026, 8:02 PM EDT
NASA regains communications with crew
After an expected 6-minute blackout, NASA has regained communications with the crew.
'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission
After their historic lunar flyby, the crew safely splashed down in the Pacific.
Last Updated: April 11, 2026, 5:12 PM EDT
NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-person crew completed a 695,081-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
A "textbook" splashdown took place at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10.
Key Headlines
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Here's how the news is developing.
Apr 10, 2026, 7:55 PM EDT
Spacecraft reenters Earth's atmosphere
Orion has reentered the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 400,000 feet, reaching peak heating and speed as it travels nearly 35 times the speed of sound.
The reentry also marks the start of a planned 6-minute communications blackout. The friction and compression of the atmosphere as Orion falls creates a plasma bubble that will engulf the spacecraft, not allowing radio signals in or out.
NASA
Apr 10, 2026, 7:39 PM EDT
Spacecraft fine-tunes reentry angle
Orion performed a brief raise burn -- a firing of the thrusters -- that fine-tunes the reentry angle of the spacecraft to minimize the time the heat shield will experience high temperatures.
Apr 10, 2026, 7:35 PM EDT
Major phase of final descent
Orion's crew module has separated from the European Service Module, exposing the heat shield that will protect the spacecraft during its high-speed travel through the Earth's atmosphere.
That shield will withstand temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during the high-speed entry.
NASA
