All eyes are now on NASA's Orion spacecraft as it prepares for one of the most intense moments of the Artemis II mission, a blazing return through Earth's atmosphere at nearly 24,000 mph (about 38,600 km/h). The crewed capsule, carrying four astronauts, is set to complete its historic lunar flyby journey with a high-speed re-entry and Pacific Ocean splashdown on 10 April off the coast of San Diego at approximately 8:07 pm EDT (1:07 am BST, 11 April).
According to NASA mission data and reporting from Space.com, the spacecraft will strike the upper atmosphere at extreme velocity, generating temperatures of around 5000°F (2,760°C), which are hot enough to test the limits of its heat shield and structure under conditions comparable to a controlled fireball descent.
