NASA Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft returns to Earth: How to watch, date, time and more – Times of India

NASA launched its first Moon mission — the Artemis 1 — last month. As a part of the mission, the US-based space agency sent the Orion spacecraft to orbit around the moon and return to Earth after completing a 25-day journey. The Orion spacecraft of NASA’s Artemis 1 program is scheduled to return to Earth around 12.40 PM ET (11.10 PM IST) on December 11. The spacecraft is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
NASA Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft return: How to watch, date and time
The US space agency will be live streaming the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft. The live stream will start at 9.30 PM IST on December 11 (Sunday). The return event will be live streamed on NASA’s official YouTube channel, the NASA app and NASA TV.
NASA Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft re-entry: More details
The crew module of the Orion spacecraft will separate from the service module just before re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The crew module will splash down in the Pacific Ocean while the service module will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. NASA’s Artemis 1 reentry plans have ensured that the remaining parts of the spacecraft do not pose any threat to land, people, or shipping routes.

Orion’s crew module will also perform a new technique while reentering the Earth’s atmosphere and will become the first human spacecraft to use it. The “skip entry” technique is designed to make the spacecraft splash down accurately at the landing site. NASA claims that this technique will ensure a safe reentry for future Artemis missions.