San Diego Warship to Recover Artemis II Astronauts After Splashdown Off California Coast

Photographer: Marin Klingsick - ShipSpotting.com 

A San Diego-based U.S. Navy warship is preparing for a historic role in human spaceflight this week. The USS John P. Murtha will be deployed to recover astronauts from Artemis II after their spacecraft splashes down off the coast of San Diego later this Friday.

According to the U.S. Navy, sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock ship have been conducting intensive training ahead of the recovery operation. The astronauts aboard the Orion capsule are expected to return to Earth just after 5 p.m. Friday, marking the conclusion of a mission that has already made history. 

Unique Recovery Capabilities

In a statement, the Navy highlighted that the USS John P. Murtha brings "unique advantages" to the mission. These capabilities will help NASA recover the Orion capsule safely and collect critical data to support future Artemis missions.

The ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Erik Kenny emphasized the significance of the operation:

"We are honored to carry on his legacy by supporting NASA and the Artemis II mission," Kenny said.

The mission also serves as a tribute to the ship’s namesake, former Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha, reinforcing the vessel’s role in supporting national priorities and historic achievements.

Helicopters and Divers to Assist Recovery

The recovery operation will involve multiple military assets. A U.S. Navy helicopter squadron from Naval Air Station North Island will track the Orion capsule as it descends through Earth’s atmosphere. Once the spacecraft splashes down, helicopters will retrieve the four astronauts and transport them back to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluation and post-flight assessment. 

Meanwhile, Navy divers will secure the capsule in the water and coordinate its recovery. The Orion spacecraft will then be transported onto the ship’s deck for further analysis and processing.

Historic Milestone Around the Moon

The mission reached a historic milestone Monday as the Artemis II astronauts traveled around the far side of the Moon and set a new distance record for human spaceflight. The crew surpassed the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, which reached 248,655 miles from Earth during a lunar flyby.

This new milestone marks another major step forward in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually prepare for missions to Mars.