The Artemis II astronauts, comprising Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, are hurtling back towards Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft, Integrity, after a 10-day mission to the moon.
The crew, which includes the first Black astronaut, the first woman, and the first non-U.S. citizen to participate in a lunar mission, is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California around 8 p.m. ET.
The Orion spacecraft will undergo a critical test of its heat shield during re-entry, which has been recalibrated to reduce heat buildup and lower the risk of the capsule burning up.
The mission marks a significant milestone in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term presence on the moon as a stepping stone to eventual human exploration of Mars.
