Re-entering the atmosphere requires a well-coordinated dance from the Artemis II crew and from Mission Control.
Because of concerns over Orion’s heat shield, NASA has chosen to send it on a shorter and more direct path through the atmosphere to reduce the time that that the spacecraft is exposed to extreme temperatures.
The process is quick and takes less than 35 minutes. Here’s how NASA says it’s supposed to go:
At 7:33 p.m. ET, Orion’s crew module will separate from its service module, shedding the part that carried fuel and other supplies. This will expose the crew module’s heat shield for return to the atmosphere.
Four minutes later, Orion will perform a “raise burn” to set up the crew module for re-entry.
At 7:53 p.m., Origin will be about 400,000 feet above the Earth’s surface and the astronauts will be pulling 3.9 Gs, if all goes to plan. For about six minutes, the astronauts will be out of communication with Mission Control.
At 8:03 p.m., the first set of parachutes — called drogue parachutes — will deploy, at an altitude of about 22,000 feet. One minute later, three additional “main” parachutes will deploy.
Four minutes later — at 8:07 p.m. — Orion will hit the Pacific.
The crew will be taken out of the capsule and flown by helicopter to the U.S.S. John P. Murtha, an “amphibious transport dock” vessel with a well deck, a helicopter pad and medical facilities.
A U.S. Navy dive team with expertise in salvage will help recover the Orion spacecraft and bring it to the vessel.