Artemis II: What to Expect on NASA Moon Mission’s Critical Final Day

Integrity spacecraft will need to hit a precise point in Earth’s atmosphere to cap strain on its heat shield.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, April 09, 2026 at 05:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The Artemis II astronauts share a group hug as they head back to Earth inside NASA’s Orion crew capsule. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

The Artemis II mission is concluding with its four astronauts returning to Earth after orbiting the moon, facing a critical and perilous atmospheric reentry phase.
The mission's Orion capsule, "Integrity," will test its heat shield against extreme temperatures (up to 5,000°F) and speeds during reentry.
Concerns exist regarding the heat shield, as its design is identical to the one on Artemis I, which unexpectedly cracked; some experts and former astronauts urged NASA to fly Artemis II uncrewed.
Despite these concerns, NASA validated the heat shield's safety for the crew, modifying the reentry profile to minimize heat exposure, while a new, more permeable shield is planned for Artemis III.

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After slingshotting around the moon and traveling farther from Earth than any human has ever ventured, the four astronauts commanding NASA’s Artemis II mission are hours from splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

The mission’s final phase is also one of its most perilous. As of Thursday evening, NASA anticipates splashdown around 8:07 p.m. EDT on Friday. But before that, Integrity—the name of the Artemis II Orion crew capsule—will face a critical test of the heat shield that is designed to protect the astronauts as they hurtle through Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 24,000 mph. It will brave temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt steel.