{"id":7866,"date":"2026-04-09T12:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/artemis-ii-nears-earth-astronauts-prepare-for-historic-splashdown-wjla\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:40:07","slug":"artemis-ii-nears-earth-astronauts-prepare-for-historic-splashdown-wjla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/artemis-ii-nears-earth-astronauts-prepare-for-historic-splashdown-wjla\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II nears earth: astronauts prepare for historic splashdown – WJLA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now
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by Chief<\/span>Meteorologist<\/span><\/span>Veronica Johnson<\/a><\/span>
WASHINGTON(7News) \u2014 <\/span>On April 10, 2026, we will have the opportunity to witness a milestone in space exploration as NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission will return from it's journey around the moon.
The Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, will re-enter Earth\u2019s atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean under nearly perfect conditions. <\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n
\n
FILE – NASA's Orion capsule is drawn to the well deck of the USS Portland after it splashed down following a successful uncrewed Artemis I moon mission, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. On Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, NASA said astronauts will have to wait until 2025 before flying to the moon and another few years before landing on it. (Mario Tama\/Pool Photo via AP, File)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Artemis II wasn\u2019t about landing on the Moon \u2014 it was a critical test of deep-space operations with humans aboard. The crew traveled farther from Earth than anyone has in decades, testing the Orion spacecraft\u2019s systems, life support, and communication technology. This mission has set the stage for future lunar landings and helps NASA plan for longer-term human exploration of space.
After looping around the Moon, the Orion spacecraft began its return to Earth using a trajectory shaped by lunar gravity. The capsule will endure extreme heat and friction as it passes through the atmosphere, before slowing with a series of parachutes, and landing in the ocean.
NASA has strict limits to ensure safe recovery, and Artemis II\u2019s landing conditions are within thresholds:
Sky:<\/strong> Partly sunny, providing clear visibility for recovery teams.
Air temperature: <\/strong>A comfortable 60\u201368F, ideal for operations.
Water temperature:<\/strong> Around 60F, standard for safe recovery.
Waves:<\/strong> 2\u20134 ft, below NASA\u2019s 6 ft limit.
Wind<\/strong>: 12 mph, far under the 29 mph safety limit.
These favorable conditions should make it easier for recovery crews to secure the spacecraft quickly and safely.
Artemis II\u2019s successful flight demonstrates that humans can travel safely beyond low Earth orbit, bringing NASA one step closer to landing astronauts on the Moon again with Artemis III.

Artemis 2 Mission Overview<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2026 Sinclair, Inc.<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now41\u00b0Fri75\u00b0Sat71\u00b0by ChiefMeteorologistVeronica JohnsonWASHINGTON(7News) \u2014 On April 10, 2026, we will have the opportunity to witness a milestone in space exploration as NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission will return from it's journey around the moon. The Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, will re-enter Earth\u2019s atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean under nearly perfect conditions. FILE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7866","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}