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How will the Artemis astronauts get home?

from left going clockwise: Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen and Victor Glover on board the Orion spacecraft looking into the camera and smilingReuters

These four are coming home soon - but how will they get there?

After almost 10 days of broken records, amazing images and reaching points in space no one has ever been to before, the Artemis II mission is coming to an end.

The crew of four astronauts have been seeing some amazing things during their mission, including the far side of the Moon (which we can never see from Earth), an eclipse, and the northern lights on top of our planet.

But now, it's time to come home - so how do they do it?

More on Artemis II

When will the Artemis crew get back to Earth?

How will the Orion spacecraft land?

Nasa are aiming to get the crew back on to Earth at 8.07pm EDT on Friday, 10 April (that'll be just after 1am on Saturday in the UK).

They'll have spent roughly 10 days in space, and travelled 695,000 miles (around 1,118,500 km).

When the Orion capsule, that the astronauts have been living in, re-enters Earth's atmosphere, it's travelling really, really fast.

The rocket will also get really hot as it enters our atmosphere, but there are special heat panels used to protect the crew inside.

Nasa have said it will reach a top speed of 34,965 feet per second - that's more than 23,000 miles per hour.

red and white parachutes above a capsule that's splashing into the seaReuters

This is Artemis I's splashdown in 2022

The angle at which Orion will enter Earth's atmosphere will help it to slow down, and 11 parachutes will also be used to help it brake further.

The spacecraft will then splashdown into the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego in America.

By the time it reaches the sea it'll be travelling much slower, about 20 mph, and water makes for a much softer landing pad than land.

a spacecraft with red balls on top of it - to its right, a speedboat with people coming to collect itEPA

Artemis I was collected by US Navy divers

Their journey from when they enter the atmosphere, to when they land on the water, is expected to take just 14 minutes.

Once the crew are in the sea, a recovery team made up of Nasa experts and the US Navy will collect them, as well as their spacecraft.

Watch: BBC asks Artemis II crew a question in space

What have the Artemis crew done so far?

Skip image gallery
  1. the moon in the foreground with planet earth in the background, showing the top half in daylight and the bottom half at night
    NASA

    You may have seen some sunsets, but how about an Earthiest? This incredible picture taken by the crew shows part of our planet that's experiencing nighttime, out in the distance beyond the far side of the Moon.

The Artemis II crew made up of Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, have broken quite a few records during their mission, including travelling further into space than any other human in history.

They've snapped lots of pictures of the view they've had while on their journey, as well as documenting what life has been like for them in the Orion spacecraft.

They've also been doing lots of tests that will help experts plan the eventual Moon landing, which is currently scheduled to take place in 2028.

What happens next?

planet earth in space, you can see green auroras at the top right and bottom leftReuters

The crew took this picture of their home while on board Orion - can you spot the Northern and Southern lights?

The next mission, Artemis III, is due to blast off in 2027.

However, it won't be landing on the Moon as originally planned.

They'll instead be doing some tests closer to home, living on their spacecraft while still in Earth's orbit.

Nasa are now aiming to get people on the surface of the Moon in 2028.