This is a new big step in the conquest ofspace. NASA successfully concluded the mission Artemis 2marked by the landing of the Orion capsule in the Pacific off the coast of Californiavalidating a decisive step in the American return to the Moon. According to initial information from NASA, the crew members are in perfect health.
Departing on April 1 from Florida, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian Jeremy Hansen carried out a test flight around the Moon, the first of its kind since 1972. Their mission made it possible to collect hundreds of gigabytes of data and observe the Terre from lunar orbit, particularly during a passage behind the Lune broadcast live.
The critical phase of entry into the atmosphere
The most critical phase of the return took place during atmospheric reentry. The Orion ship carrying four astronauts re-entered the atmosphere on Friday at 32 times the speed of sound, according to NASA’s live broadcast, a test for the heat shield which had to withstand temperatures exceeding 2,700°C. After this passage at very high speed, the commander confirmed the good performance of the systems: “Houston, this is Integrity. We hear you perfectly.”
The heat shield, a major point of vigilance since it lost fragments during a test in 2022, therefore resisted this time. The space agency chose to keep its design while modifying the trajectory to limit constraints. “I’m going to think about it non-stop until they’re in the water,” said NASA chief Jared Isaacman, highlighting the uncertainties surrounding this step.
The US Navy on its way to recover the crew
After deceleration, the Orion capsule deployed its parachutes before landing gently at 5:07 p.m. local time (2:07 a.m. Saturday in Paris) near San Diego, in accordance with the flight plan established down to the minute. The recovery by the American Navy was initiated according to a protocol inherited from the Apollo missions, notably that of Neil Armstrong.
Our file on the Artémis 2 mission
This success strengthens NASA’s strategy for the continuation of the Artemis program, intended to prepare for a human return to the Moon before future missions to Mars. An intermediate mission is planned for 2027, before a lunar landing objective in 2028, even if uncertainties remain over the availability of landing systems.
