On Monday, December 5, and Sunday, December 11, NASA will broadcast live coverage of the Artemis I unmanned Orion spacecraft’s return flyby of the Moon.
The organization will also have a number of briefings to go through the planned events from Houston’s Johnson Space Center. On NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app, live coverage will be available.
In order to leave a lunar orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon where engineers have been testing systems to better understand the spacecraft before future trips with passengers, Orion has started its return journey toward Earth. On December 1, it successfully completed a burn to do so.
Monday, December 5 coverage of the return lunar flyby will start at 9 a.m. EST. The spacecraft will use the Moon’s gravity to speed back toward Earth during the return powered flyby burn, which is scheduled for 11:43 a.m. At 11:42 a.m., right before the burn, the spacecraft is anticipated to fly 79 miles over the lunar surface.
At 11 a.m., live coverage of the spacecraft’s entry, descent, and splashdown off the coast of San Diego will start. Mission Control, Houston. Dec. 11, a Sunday. After splashdown, which is anticipated to occur at 12:40 p.m., the spacecraft will be recovered by the U.S. Navy and the exploration ground systems recovery team from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Additionally, on Sunday, December 11 at 9 a.m. PST, NASA will partner with the San Diego Air and Space Museum to conduct a STEM event for kids and families to learn about Orion and the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that underpins the agency’s missions. In addition to engaging in hands-on STEM activities, attendees will be able to watch a live video of the splashdown and hear from NASA specialists and the deputy secretary of education Cindy Marten.
