Artemis II Flight Day 9 — Crew Packs for Splashdown; Orion 160,000 Miles from Earth

April 9 marked the final full day in space for the Artemis II crew aboard the Orion capsule, which was approximately 160,000 miles from Earth with the Moon about 120,000 miles behind. Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen spent Flight Day 9 packing and stowing equipment, reviewing reentry and splashdown procedures with flight controllers, testing backup waste collection systems, and donning orthostatic intolerance compression garments to help their bodies readjust to gravity. The crew executed a final deep-space trajectory correction burn to precisely target the Pacific Ocean splashdown zone. The U.S. Navy's USS John P. Murtha departed port and is steaming to the recovery position off San Diego. Splashdown remains confirmed for April 10, 2026 at approximately 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT). NASA reports weather conditions favorable.