Artemis 2 crew begins guiding Orion spacecraft to Earth for high-stakes return
The journey has not been without challenges. Roughly two hours before the burn, mission controllers encountered an unexpected loss of signal during a data rate transition.
After completing the historic flyby of the Moon, the first in over half a century, the crew of Artemis II has begun its critical journey back to Earth, successfully executing a key manoeuvre to steer the Orion spacecraft onto its return path through the planet's thick atmosphere.
At 8:23 a.m. IST on Friday, Orion ignited its thrusters for a brief but crucial nine-second burn.
The manoeuvre increased the spacecraft’s velocity by 5.3 feet per second, nudging it closer to Earth and marking a significant milestone in the return phase. With this burn complete, Nasa confirmed that the crew is now more than halfway home.
The journey has not been without challenges. Roughly two hours before the burn, mission controllers encountered an unexpected loss of signal during a data rate transition.
The issue temporarily disrupted communications and telemetry transmission between the spacecraft and ground teams. However, engineers quickly restored two-way communication, allowing flight controllers to resume preparations for the trajectory correction manoeuvre without further delay.
Earlier in the day, Nasa officials provided updates on the mission’s re-entry and splashdown plans. The agency confirmed that a third return trajectory correction burn is scheduled for April 10 at approximately 11:23 pm IST, which will further refine Orion’s path ahead of atmospheric re-entry.
Nasa is targeting splashdown at 5:37 am IST on Saturday, with the capsule expected to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
The high-speed re-entry will see Orion endure extreme temperatures as it barrels through Earth’s atmosphere, a crucial test of the spacecraft’s heat shield and overall crew safety systems.
Artemis II marks a major step in Nasa’s efforts to return humans to the Moon and eventually push deeper into space.
As the crew begins this high-stakes final leg of their journey, all eyes remain on Orion’s safe return, a milestone that will shape the future of human space exploration.