Artemis II return time and livestream: How to watch reentry and splashdown live
After 10 days circling the Earth, the moon, and breaking records in deep space, the Artemis II crew is about to make one final, fiery plunge back to Earth.
This four-person crew made history on April 6, when Orion reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the farthest any human has ever traveled in space, surpassing Apollo 13's record. Now, U.S. Navy teams stationed near San Diego are ready to bring them safely home.
If you don't want to miss the Artemis II return, then tune in to the NASA livestream on Friday. That's when Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 5:07 p.m. PT (8:07 p.m. ET).
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You have tons of options for watching the livestream, and even streamers like Prime Video and Netflix are getting in on the action. However, YouTube is probably your best bet.
When to start watching
NASA+ coverage kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT, about 90 minutes before splashdown. But the action really heats up, literally, around 4:53 p.m. PT, when the Orion spacecraft hits entry interface, and the capsule begins its scorching journey through Earth's atmosphere, where it will reach roughly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the Artemis II recovery, NASA will hold a post-splashdown news conference at 7:30 p.m. PT at Johnson Space Center.
How to watch Artemis II reentry
You can stream the Artemis II return free on NASA+ at plus.nasa.gov or on NASA's YouTube channel. NASA has also been providing continuous coverage of Artemis II throughout the 10-day mission, including real-time commentary. A separate livestream of the splashdown will start up at 3:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. ET).
More ways to watch live
If you'd rather watch the conclusion of the mission live on your TV without downloading any new apps, several streaming services you probably already have will be livestreaming the landing.
Prime Video, as well as Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max, and Apple TV will all host the NASA stream on their platforms, beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT.
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Topics NASA
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
