Artemis II Mission Set to Splash Down Off San Diego Coast

NASA's historic lunar mission will culminate in a Pacific Ocean landing just miles from the California shore.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 1:08am

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After launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the Artemis II mission is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles off the coast of San Diego on April 11. The mission will mark the first crewed lunar orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft. A team of over 100 NASA and Navy personnel will be on hand to recover the astronauts and capsule after splashdown.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is a critical step in NASA's ambitious plan to return humans to the lunar surface and eventually establish a long-term presence on the Moon. The successful splashdown off the San Diego coast will demonstrate the agency's ability to safely transport astronauts to and from the Moon, paving the way for future Artemis missions and a new era of lunar exploration.

The details

The Artemis II spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on April 1 and travel nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, reaching a distance of about 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. After a 10-day lunar orbit, the Orion capsule will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of San Diego. A team of over 100 NASA and Navy personnel will be on hand to recover the astronauts and capsule, with a naval ship transporting the crew back to shore.

  • The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026.
  • The Orion spacecraft is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles off the coast of San Diego on April 11, 2026.

The players

Reid Wiseman

NASA astronaut and crew member of the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

NASA astronaut and crew member of the Artemis II mission.

Christina Koch

NASA astronaut and crew member of the Artemis II mission.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency astronaut and crew member of the Artemis II mission.

Lisa Seiler

Artemis Deputy Landing Recovery Director, who has been part of the Orion program since its inception.

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What they’re saying

“We're ready, the rocket is ready, we are ready, NASA is ready, this vehicle is definitely ready to go.”

— Reid Wiseman, NASA Astronaut

“The mission isn't complete until we ensure the safety and the return of the crew back home.”

— Lisa Seiler, Artemis Deputy Landing Recovery Director

“I get very emotional about it. Just because, you know, there, there are people involved and we understand the sensitivity and you know, their families are counting on us to do everything that we can do to ensure their safety.”

— Lisa Seiler, Artemis Deputy Landing Recovery Director

What’s next

After the successful splashdown of the Artemis II mission, NASA will begin establishing lessons learned and planning for the next Artemis mission, with the goal of accelerating the timeline for Artemis III and future lunar exploration efforts.

The takeaway

The Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plan to return humans to the Moon, demonstrating the agency's ability to safely transport astronauts to lunar orbit and back. The splashdown off the San Diego coast will be a historic moment, marking the furthest humans have traveled from Earth since the Apollo era and paving the way for a new era of lunar exploration.