Top News

NASA Artemis 2 Splashdown LIVE Updates: Final checks underway ahead of ocean landing

Samira Vishwas | April 11, 2026 10:24 AM CST

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft began the final phase of their journey home as they completed their third and final return trajectory correction burn and shifted into full re-entry and splashdown preparation.

Space enthusiasts have a chance to catch the rare sight of Artemis II as it races back toward Earth, with a live broadcast scheduled for tonight.

The splashdown will take place at 8:07 pm EDT on April 10 ( 5:37 am IST on April 11) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. To watch the return of the Orion spacecraft, you can tune into Nasa’s official site. It will also be broadcast on Nasa’s official YouTube channel and on Netflix.

Launched on April 2, Artemis II marked a major milestone for Nasa, sending four astronauts on the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17.

During their journey, the crew travelled thousands of miles past the moon and even witnessed a total solar eclipse from space.

For those waiting to follow the final moments of the mission, tonight’s livestream offers a unique window into one of the most exciting phases of Artemis II’s journey.

Artemis II mission

Artemis II will be Nasa’s first crewed flight using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. During the mission, astronauts will test and assess these systems to support upcoming missions, including Artemis IV, which is targeting a Moon landing in 2028. The crew of four: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, carried out a lunar flyby but did not land on the Moon.

Designed as a 10-day journey around the Moon focused on evaluating critical systems for future lunar exploration and helping lay the groundwork for eventual human missions to Mars.

Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for continuous updates on the Artemis II mission.