SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — An elite U.S. Navy special operations dive team, helicopter squadron and LPD ship all based out of San Diego will be assisting NASA with recovering the crew of the Artemis II when they end their mission with a splashdown off the San Diego coast, and more details are coming out about how they will be getting the astronauts out of the space capsule and back to land.

As long as the thunderstorms hold off until late Friday into Saturday, as is currently forecast, NASA is expecting the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts to splash down off San Diego at 5:07 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 10, several miles off the coast.

What to know about Artemis II crew’s return to Earth, splashdown off San Diego

The Navy’s amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), based out of Naval Base San Diego, will be the recovery ship for the Orion capsule and its crew when they return to Earth from the 10-day historic Artemis II Moon Mission.

U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 “Wildcards” assist astronauts out of a crew module test article (CMTA) onto a life raft while underway with San Antonio class amphibious ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) for NASA’s Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 27, 2024. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. The U.S. Navy has may unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious ships with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Olivia Rucker)

U.S. Navy Sailors assist astronauts out of a crew module test article on Feb. 27, 2024. The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious ships with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Olivia Rucker)

Named in honor of the late and long-serving Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha, the Navy says the amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha has a well deck, helicopter pad, onboard medical facilities and communication capabilities needed to support the mission.

As the Artemis Landing and Recovery team and supporting Department of War personnel approach the culmination of years of training with this splashdown, this mission will help ensure future missions the Moon and Mars are successful.

How San Diego’s Navy divers are preparing for Artemis II crew’s return

The Navy says the USS John P. Murtha will standby while MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 “Wildcards” — based at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego — will assist from the air as they track the Orion space capsule through the Earth’s atmosphere.

The helicopter squadron will be the ones to actually recover the astronauts from the capsule before bringing them to the USS John P. Murtha for medial assessment. NASA expects the crew to be on the Navy recovery ship within two hours from splashdown.

U.S. Navy Divers assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 fasten a NASA “front porch” life raft to a crew module test article (CMTA) during Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 25, 2024. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. Amphibious transport docks, like USS San Diego, have unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including embarking helicopters, launching and recovering small boats, three dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Connor Burns)

U.S. Navy Divers fasten a NASA “front porch” life raft to a crew module test article on Feb. 25, 2024. Amphibious transport docks, like USS San Diego, have unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including embarking helicopters, launching and recovering small boats, three dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Connor Burns)

NASA monitors weather for Artemis II’s Pacific splashdown off San Diego

After the four astronauts are cleared by medial teams, which include a dive medical team from San Diego’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1, the crew will be taken to San Diego onboard the Navy ship before they are flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Residents in coastal San Diego communities like Point Loma, La Jolla and Coronado could get a glimpse of the USS John P. Murtha carrying the astronauts and Orion spacecraft back to shore Friday night.

U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to San Antonio class transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 “Wildcards” guide U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman to the ship’s medical facilities from the flight deck during training while underway for NASA’s Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 25, 2024. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious ships with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Caitlyn Strader)

U.S. Navy Sailors guide U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman to the ship’s medical facilities from the flight deck during training for NASA’s Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 25, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Caitlyn Strader)

Navy divers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 (EODGRU-1) — experts in mobile diving, salvage, towing, and open water, small boat operations — will be recovering and transporting the Orion capsule from the Pacific Ocean off San Diego onto the USS John P. Murtha’s well deck.

260126-N-DB724-1027 Sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) and NASA engineers prepare to release a crew module test article from the ship’s well deck, Jan. 26, 2026. John P. Murtha is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations performing a just-in-time training in support of U.S. Space Command's human space flight recovery mission to retrieve NASA’s Artemis II crew and spacecraft following their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. 3rd Fleet, an integral part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute our Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations—from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster response. U.S. 3rd Fleet works together with allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation, the rule of law, and other principles that underpin security for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jomark A. Almazan)

260126-N-DB724-1027 Sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) and NASA engineers prepare to release a crew module test article from the ship’s well deck, Jan. 26, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jomark A. Almazan)

A rigid hull inflatable boat tows a crew module test article (CMTA) from the well deck of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) during Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 25, 2024. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. Amphibious transport docks, like USS San Diego, have unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including embarking helicopters, launching and recovering small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Connor Burns)

A rigid hull inflatable boat tows a crew module test article (CMTA) from the well deck of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) during Underway Recovery Test 11, Feb. 25, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Connor Burns)

NASA says splashdown is expected about 50 to 80 miles off the San Diego coast and experts are keeping a close eye on the weather as rain and thunderstorms are forecast to move into the region Friday night into Saturday.

Read more information here on NASA’s parameters for the splashdown to occur safely, like wave height and wind speed, which could impact the exact location of where the crew can safely splashdown on Friday.

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