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Artemis II

Splashdown Recovery — Mission Complete

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NASA's first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17. Orion capsule returns with 4 astronauts. Splashdown: Friday, April 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM PDT off San Diego.

Time Since Splashdown
5:07 PM PDT · 8:07 PM EDT · April 10, 2026
2
days
:
20
hours
:
47
min
:
17
sec
MISSION COMPLETE — CREW RECOVERED SAFELY
All 4 astronauts extracted by USS John P. Murtha · Drift model archived

Splashdown Zone — Live Drift Map

Monte Carlo drift cone · 50% (green) · 75% (orange) · 95% (red) probability

Target Drift track Recovery ship AIS

AIS Verification — Recovery Ship Track

USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) · MMSI 638824000

Closest Approach: 1.62 nm
Our Prediction
32.7°N
118°W
Elements drift model
Ship Closest Point
32.723°N
117.983°W
16:09 UTC
Departure Point
32.718°N
118.108°W
14:30 UTC
Track Distance
15.1
nautical miles
3.5h duration
Recovery Timeline (UTC · April 11, 2026)
00:07
Splashdown
T+0
14:30
Ship Departure
T+14.4h
16:09
Closest Approach
1.62 nm
17:58
SD Approach
End of track

Transparency note: US Navy vessels do not broadcast identity on AIS during operations. Track timing and position are consistent with the Artemis II recovery ship. This track is displayed for scientific validation of the Elements drift model — not to identify or track military vessels operationally.

NASA TV — Live Mission Coverage

Artemis II splashdown broadcast from NASA Johnson Space Center

Full Screen ↗
Target Position
32.7°N
118°W
Sea Temperature
—°C
—°F
Wave Height
—m
—ft
Wind Speed
— kn
— mph
Survival Prob.
—%
12h window

Post-Splashdown Drift Prediction

Monte Carlo particle simulation · 1000 particles · HYCOM ocean currents · Updated every 5 minutes

Search Area Reduction
—%
Time After SplashdownCenter Position95% Radius75% Radius50% RadiusSearch Area
Crew Recovered Safely
Crew
4 of 4
Recovery Time
< 1 hour
Recovery Ship
USS Murtha
Condition
Good health

Outcome: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen were extracted by helicopter and delivered to USS John P. Murtha within one hour of splashdown. All crew in good health.

Recovery Operations
Primary Recovery Ship
USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26)
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Home port: San Diego, CA
Recovery Sequence
  1. Orion capsule splashdown at 5:07 PM PDT
  2. Helicopter retrieval of crew (30-60 min)
  3. Crew delivery to USS John P. Murtha
  4. Capsule tow and recovery operations

Model Methodology — Elements Drift Engine

Monte Carlo particle simulation · Ocean current integration · Validated against historical SAR cases

Monte Carlo Simulation
Particles1,000
Time step30 min
Forecast48h
Refresh60s
Object typedebris_large · 5% leeway
Diffusion√(t) · 50 m²/s
Data Sources
HYCOM GLBy0.08 1/12°
Resolution ~8km · 3-hourly
Allen & Plourde 1999
Leeway model for debris_large
NASA AROW CCSDS OEM
Orion ephemeris · live feed
Elements live feed
AIS recovery ship track
USCG hypothermia curves
Crew survival probability
44
SAR cases
81.8%
hit rate
99.6%
search area reduction
Validated against USCG & MRCC incident reports

Built with Elements Platform · Akiron.ai · Open source maritime + space intelligence