Preparing for Artemis II: Successful recovery test off San Diego coast

2024-03-05

The crew of the Artemis II mission successfully completed a recovery test off the coast of San Diego. This test, conducted by the U.S. Navy and NASA from February 21 to 28, was to rehearse the safe recovery of the crew and the Orion capsule after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. It involved CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen and his Artemis II crewmates, along with CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons. As the Canadian backup astronaut for the mission, she was also involved in validating the astronaut training and some procedures for this test.

NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense are conducting a series of tests at NASA‘s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and in the ocean to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. In July 2023, they performed the first test specific to the Artemis II mission, but without the crew present. This time, the crew was on hand. They practised different scenarios, such as:

• during the day and at night
• in various weather conditions
• with injured or incapacitated crewmembers

This collaborative effort represents a significant step in the training of the crew and the various teams involved.