The Artemis II crew prepares for the return of the “fireball” after its flyby of the Moon

After becoming the first humans in more than 50 years to fly around the Moon, the four Artemis II astronauts face the last great challenge of their mission as they return to Earth.

“I’ve actually been thinking about entry since April 3, 2023, when we were assigned to this mission,” U.S. astronaut Victor Glover said when asked how he felt about the return during a news conference from the Orion capsule.

He described it as “riding a fireball through the atmosphere.”

In a complex maneuver, the crew – made up of Glover, fellow US astronauts Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman and Canadian Jeremy Hansen – is expected to land in the Pacific near San Diego around 5.07pm on Friday (0007 GMT Saturday).

At times, their capsule is expected to reach speeds of up to about 38,400 kilometers per hour, exposing astronauts to extreme physical strain.

Orion will be exposed to intense heat as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, with astronauts protected by a special heat shield.

Communications with mission control will be interrupted for approximately six minutes.

The capsule is then expected to be slowed by parachutes before crashing into the Pacific.

NASA said the latest weather forecast and final external images of Orion looked good.

The four Artemis II astronauts were the first humans to travel near the Moon in more than 50 years.

They lifted off last week aboard the Orion capsule of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket from Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida before flying around the moon.

During the mission, they traveled further from Earth than any human before.