By Angela Redding| Hollywood Beat magazine | April 10, 2026
Lead Photo: NASA Johnson Space Center of the United States
First Crewed Artemis Flight Set to Circle the Moon
Artemis II marks a major return to deep space. This mission sends four astronauts on a lunar flyby. It builds on Artemis I and pushes human spaceflight beyond Apollo 17.
Meet the Artemis II Crew
• Reid Wiseman – An American naval pilot and NASA astronaut, he is the commander of the 2026 Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.
• Victor Glover – An American naval officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut from the class of 2013.
• Christina Koch – An American engineer and NASA astronaut, known for her all-female spacewalks and holding the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman during her mission to the International Space Station from 2019 to 2020.
• Jeremy Hansen – A colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and a CSA astronaut. He was part of the 2026 Artemis II mission, making him the first non-American to go beyond low Earth orbit and the first to get close to the Moon.
What’s Happening Now: Re-Entry and Splashdown
The mission has entered its most intense phase. The Orion spacecraft is now returning to Earth.
• Final trajectory burn completed to align for re-entry
• Crew module separated from service module
• Heat shield positioned to face extreme temperatures
• Re-entry speed reaching about 24,000 to 25,000 mph
• Temperatures hitting up to 5,000°F during descent
• Expected 6-minute communication blackout due to plasma buildup
After re-entry:
at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
• Parachutes deploy to slow descent
• Splashdown targeted in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego
• U.S. Navy recovery teams retrieve the crew
This phase tests the upgraded heat shield after issues seen during Artemis I. It is one of the highest risk moments of the mission.
Why This Moment Matters
You are watching a real-time test of deep space return systems. Success here clears the path for Artemis III and future Moon landings.
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