NASA - Artemis I - Orion - Deorbit Burn & Splashdown - Pacific Ocean - December 11, 2022

NASA set the return day for the Orion Spacecraft of the Artemis I mission to December 11, 2022.

The timetable of events (attention all is TBD):

11:00 a.m EST / 16:00 UTC / 17:00 CET - Live Coverage starts from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston.
12:00 p.m. EST / 17:00 UTC / 18:00 CET - Crew Module / Service Module Separation
12:03 p.m. EST / 17:03 UTC / 18:03 CET - Crew Module Raise Maneuver to establish proper azimuth for entry
12:20 p.m. EST / 17:20 UTC / 18:20 CET - Targeted entry interface / Crew module entry interface
12:40 p.m. EST / 17:30 UTC / 18:40 CET - Orion Splashdown

Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.

Launch site: Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Launch date: Nov. 16, 2022
Launch time: 1:47 a.m. EST
Mission Duration: 25 days, 11 hours, 36 minutes
Destination: distant retrograde orbit around the Moon
Total mission miles: approximately 1.4 million miles (2.3 million kilometers)
Targeted splashdown site: Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego
Return speed: Up to 25,000 mph (40,000 kph)
Splashdown: Dec. 11, 2022

Mission Overview:

During this flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Throughout the mission, it will travel 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) from Earth and 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the Moon's far side. Orion will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

This first Artemis mission will demonstrate the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket and test our capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. The flight will pave the way for future missions to the lunar vicinity, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon.

With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. With Artemis, NASA will collaborate with industry and international partners to establish long-term exploration for the first time.