Artemis II astronauts are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026, about 50–60 mi off San Diego. The U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha will recover the capsule and crew. Mission commander retired Navy Captain Reid Wiseman and pilot Captain Victor Glover—both Naval Postgraduate School alumni—are focused on a safe return after a historic lunar flyby. On day six the spacecraft entered lunar sphere of influence and passed within 4,070 mi of the surface, setting a record 252,760 mi from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13. The crew experienced a 40‑minute communications blackout and received a prerecorded message from former Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of the capsule, and data are now being processed by researchers.
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Summary adapted from https://war.gov
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