Artemis lunar mission expected to land back on Earth on Friday

NASA and the Navy are preparing to recover the astronauts and their Orion spacecraft, who will be recovered by the amphibious dock ship U.S.S. John P. Murtha.

By Misty Severi

Published: April 9, 2026 6:37pm

The four-member crew of the Artemis II lunar mission is expected to land off the coast of Southern California on Friday, signaling the end of the first moon mission since the Apollo missions in the 1970s.

NASA and the Navy are preparing to recover the astronauts and their Orion spacecraft, who will be recovered by the amphibious dock ship U.S.S. John P. Murtha, according to the New York Times.

NASA has also checked the exterior of the spacecraft through external cameras to search for abnormalities or damage that could jeopardize the astronauts’ safety during their return and has given the approval.

“No concerns,” Debbie Korth, the deputy manager of the Orion program, said at a news conference on Wednesday. “No issues seen that would make us have any pause for the re-entry phase."

The final 100 miles of the crew's 695,081-miles is considered some of the most dangerous of the mission and is expected to enter the Earth's atmosphere at approximately 23,840 mph, according to Space.com.

The spacecraft is expected to land at 8:07 p.m. Eastern.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.