What Happens After The Artemis II Splashdown? Know Who Will First Greet The Four Astronauts

The historic Artemis II mission is about to reach its end after a 10-day journey to the far side of the moon and back. For those unaware, Artemis II is reportedly the first crewed flight in NASA's Artemis program, intended to test life support systems, navigation, and deep-space operations essential to establishing a human presence on the moon.  

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, best known as "Integrity," who had been selected for the mission are commander, Reid Wiseman, pilot, Victor Glover, and mission specialists, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Well, now that the astronauts are set to return home and the countdown to splashdown is on, have you wondered what happens when they actually splash down? 

Recovering the Artemis II crew 

According to a report by Fox Weather, NASA plans to have the Orion spacecraft splashdown off the coast of San Diego. The timing for the same is scheduled to be 5:07 pm PST, 8:07 pm ET, on April 10 (5:07 am IST on April 11). When Integrity splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, a well-practised recovery will be conducted with the help of a coalition of forces. As per reports, three hours before the capsule is scheduled to enter the atmosphere, US Navy and NASA personnel will be staged in open water. Additionally, recovery teams will remain vigilant in providing support, whether from the sea or the air.  

Two MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters are supposed to be present there. These helicopters will be equipped with NASA imaging equipment, which will help them track the Orion spacecraft carrying the Artemis II crew as it travels through Earth's atmosphere. Artemis II Landing and Recovery Director Liliana Villarrel stated: 

“Once we get through splashdown…It's go time for everybody. The ships, the helicopters, the small boats are now just going as fast as they can towards the capsule.”  

Picture credit: NASA

After the capsule lands in the Pacific, the Artemis II crew is supposed to complete a post-landing checklist with NASA Mission Control. This includes securing the capsule and preparing for the power-down sequence. Only when the power-down sequence is completed will the hatch on Orion open. After this, the four astronauts will first be greeted by a dive medical officer from the US Navy, who will assess the crew's condition. Once the immediate health assessments are complete, Navy recovery divers will help the crew members emerge from the capsule and onto Orion's front porch. Here, the Artemis II astronauts will have to don what are called the “Astronaut Recovery Vests.”  

Picture credit: NASA

If you are wondering what the recovery vests are for, they help the four crew members be hoisted up by the aforementioned HSC-23 helicopters and delivered to the USS John P. Murtha. After the Artemis II astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Scott, who have now become the first humans to have travelled the farthest from Earth, are safely secured on the USS John P. Murtha, recovery crews' focus will shift to the capsule that the Artemis II crew was in.  

Recovering the Artemis II capsule 

If the reports are believed to be true, the recovery teams have conducted at least 12 Underway Recovery Tests (URTs) to determine the best recovery method. Additionally, they have also practised it until it was perfect for the most important splashdown day. Recovery teams are set to secure the capsule in the same way that the NASA and US Navy crews did back when the Artemis I splashdown happened three years ago. Artemis II Landing and Recovery Director Liliana also explained the same by saying, “It's actually the same process we did on Artemis I.”  

Picture credit: NASA

After the spacecraft is shut down and its hatch closed, the capsule will be towed with a winch line. The winch line in question will be deployed from the back of the USS John P. Murtha, where the Orion capsule will then be towed into a weld deck area. The reported last step to securing the capsule is draining the water from the weld deck area, something which Director Liliana has referred to as the “big milestone.”  

Team BollywoodShaadis wishes the Artemis II crew a safe splashdown.  

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