Artemis 2 Crew Heads Home Tonight After Historic Moon Journey

NASA teams are on the ground and ready as the Orion spacecraft races back to Earth tonight, carrying the Artemis 2 crew home after their historic 10-day voyage around the moon.

The final hurdle is re-entry, and NASA specialists say it may be the most dangerous part of the entire trip. The capsule will pierce Earth's atmosphere at nearly 25,000 miles per hour, with outside temperatures reaching roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about half as hot as the surface of the sun, while the crew inside experiences deceleration nearly four times the force of gravity.

Inside the spacecraft, though, conditions are considerably calmer. Artemis II Orion Vehicle Manager Branelle Rodriguez said the crew has been comfortable throughout the journey. "Inside the vehicle, the spacecraft systems, it's a nice 75 degrees," she said, adding that Orion "has been working fantastic."

Lead Flight Director Jeff Radigan says re-entry isn't just 13 minutes of holding your breath. "It's more in my head about an hour and a half of things that have to go right," he said, listing off the sequence his team is watching for: drogue chutes, main chutes, reefing system cuts, separation of the service module from the crew module, and the heat shield performing as designed.

Rodriguez says her team has done their homework. "We've reviewed all the re-entry procedures and activities, and we are good to go," she said.

Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast is expected around 5 p.m. tonight.

A heads up for our viewers: the splashdown will interrupt our regularly scheduled 5 o'clock newscast. We'll be back at 6. If you'd like to watch it live, NBC Palm Springs will be streaming the splashdown on our website at NBCPalmSprings.com. Our feed is scheduled to start around 3 this afternoon, once NASA goes live.