10 Apr 2026

At 10:53 p.m. EDT, the Orion spacecraft ignited its thrusters for 9 seconds, producing an acceleration in velocity of 5.3 feet-per-second and pushing the Artemis II crew toward Earth. The crew is now more than halfway home. 

About two hours before the burn, there was an unexpected return link loss of signal during a data rate change affecting the transmission of communications and telemetry from the spacecraft to the ground. Two-way communications were reestablished, and flight controllers resumed preparing for the upcoming burn with the crew shortly after.  

Earlier today, NASA officials held a mission status briefing and shared additional information on re-entry and splashdown procedures. 

The third return trajectory correction burn is scheduled for April 10 at about 1:53 p.m. ahead of re-entry procedures.  

NASA is targeting splashdown at 8:07 p.m. (5:07 p.m. PDT) Friday, April 10, off the coast of San Diego.  

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art002e016204 (April 6, 2026) – NASA astronaut and Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover pictured here in the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby. Glover and his fellow crewmates spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the Orion windows capturing science data to share with their team back on Earth. At closest approach, they came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface.