{"id":260943,"date":"2026-04-10T10:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/260943\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:38:10","slug":"artemis-ii-nears-end-of-historic-mission-with-splashdown-off-california-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/260943\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II nears end of historic mission with splashdown off California coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Artemis II mission to the moon is nearing completion, but first comes a safe splashdown off the San Diego coast.<\/p>\n

The Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, is expected to return Friday, with the\u00a0U.S. Navy helping recover the capsule<\/a> and crew from the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

San Diego, a city with deep Navy roots, is playing a central role in that effort. Several bases in the area are helping lead the recovery, bringing a sense of pride and excitement to the community.<\/p>\n

Locals and visitors from across the country are expected to gather along the coastline and at museums throughout the area to witness the crew\u2019s homecoming.<\/p>\n

Artemis Ii Astronauts Show Off Apollo 18 Flag From Space<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sailboat<\/p>\n

A sailboat passes in front of the San Diego skyline as the city prepares for the Artemis II splashdown off the coast.<\/p>\n

(Fox News)<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re back in the game of deep space,” said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum. “You go back to General Patton, World War II, you know, Americans love a winner\u2026 and will not tolerate a loser.”<\/p>\n

Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

The mission marks the latest chapter in space exploration, wrapping up, at least for now, off the Southern California coast.<\/p>\n

The astronauts aboard Orion are on their way home after traveling around the moon, reaching more than 252,000 miles from Earth.<\/p>\n

“I think people have been rejuvenated by one word that\u2019s going on in space today, and that\u2019s the moon,” Kidrick added.<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

In this image provided by NASA, Artemis II crew members, from left, Victor Glover Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch pause to turn the camera around for a selfie midway through their lunar observation period of the Moon during a lunar flyby, Monday, April 6, 2026.<\/p>\n

Artemis Ii Pilot Victor Glover\u2019s Daughter Steals Spotlight With Tribute\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

At the museum, the story of the Apollo program is once again front and center, as attention shifts back to deep space more than 50 years later.<\/p>\n

“There are so many\u2026historic moments that have happened. So it\u2019s kind of cool to just be a part of one of them,” said Abigail Lawrence, who is visiting from Utah.<\/p>\n

Others visiting San Diego<\/a> for the splashdown shared similar excitement.<\/p>\n

\"Neil<\/p>\n

A spacesuit associated with Neil Armstrong is displayed at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, highlighting the legacy of the Apollo era.<\/p>\n

“You know what? What could be better than coming back to San Diego? I don\u2019t know, I can\u2019t think of anything. Anything,” said Sheila Haas.<\/p>\n

San Diego-based sailors are also on the front lines, working with\u00a0NASA to recover the Orion capsule<\/a> from the Pacific and bring it aboard USS John P. Murtha, a Navy landing platform dock (LPD).<\/p>\n

Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m just happy to see that the Navy is able to use an LPD for such a peaceful mission,” said Navy veteran David Haas. “The LPD are good all around ships for all sorts of things. And so it just makes me happy.”<\/p>\n

After re-entry, Navy recovery teams will secure the spacecraft and help the crew out safely.<\/p>\n

“Our Navy certainly, with the NASA rescue team, all making sure that those astronauts finish up that mission wonderfully well and very safely,” Kidrick said.<\/p>\n

Back at the\u00a0Air and Space<\/a> Museum, thousands of eyes are expected to be on the sky Friday evening, with a sense of hope that a new generation will continue the push into deep space.<\/p>\n

\"Sunlight<\/p>\n

The San Diego Air and Space Museum under bright sunlight ahead of the Artemis II splashdown.<\/p>\n

“We can help inspire, educate, get them excited\u2026 those young boys and girls who are really going to be those next generations,” Kidrick said. “There can\u2019t just be one greatest generation\u2026 The generations that follow you are gonna have a wonderful future because somebody will land on Mars.”<\/p>\n

For Artemis II to land off the San Diego coast, there cannot be any rain or thunderstorms within 35 miles of the splashdown zone.<\/p>\n

Forecasters are currently monitoring a storm in the Pacific, but so far, conditions for Friday appear to be on track.<\/p>\n

Original article source: Artemis II nears end of historic mission with splashdown off California coast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Artemis II mission to the moon is nearing completion, but first comes a safe splashdown off the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,1595,9,8,27581,114848,113122,74,113123,5435,4001],"class_list":{"0":"post-260943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-coast","10":"tag-california-headlines","11":"tag-california-news","12":"tag-jim-kidrick","13":"tag-mission-to-the-moon","14":"tag-orion-spacecraft","15":"tag-san-diego","16":"tag-splashdown","17":"tag-u-s-navy","18":"tag-world-war-ii"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}