Artemis II Splashdown and Recovery Operations

U.S. Navy personnel aboard an inflatable raft, called the front porch, help recover NASA's Orion spacecraft following its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, at 5:07 p.m. PDT, (8:07 p.m. EDT) on Friday, April 10, 2026, after the Artemis II test flight. The Artemis II mission carrying Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, along with Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), launched on Wednesday, April 1, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin its 10-day journey around the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and the U.S. Navy are coordinating efforts to secure Orion in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha.