U.S. Navy Stands Ready As Artemis II Heroes Return From The Moon

U.S. Navy Stands Ready as Artemis II Heroes Return from the Moon

The USS John P. Murtha is cutting through the Pacific right now, fully prepared to pull off one of the most critical recoveries in modern spaceflight.

This San Diego-based amphibious transport dock ship sits in position under U.S. 3rd Fleet to snatch the Orion spacecraft and its four astronauts straight from the ocean after today's splashdown.

Navy helicopters and divers will move fast to extract the crew, then float the capsule into the ship's well deck for safe handling.

Artemis II blasted off April 1 on a bold lunar flyby — the first crewed trip around the Moon since Apollo 17 more than 50 years ago. The mission tested deep-space systems the hard way, pushing American ingenuity farther than any human has gone in decades.