San Diego may hear sonic boom during Artemis II splashdown

NASA scientists say you probably won’t see Artemis II splash down off San Diego’s coast on Friday — but you might hear it or feel it, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS says a sonic boom as the spacecraft re-enters the atmosphere and could potentially be felt and heard throughout Southern California at some point between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on Friday.

The agency also wants people to report hearing it on their “Did You Feel It” survey.

The Artemis II mission

The Artemis II mission sent humans to lunar orbit for the first time since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission. The four-person crew is expected to return with a splashdown about 50 miles off the coast of San Diego on Friday.

Spacecraft pilot Glover, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, were the first to return to Earth from an orbit around the moon in more than 50 years. The Artemis II mission also made history as the furthest humans have ever soared away from Earth.

While all eyes are on the launch and 10-day lunar orbit that will follow, there is the splashdown, the final phase of the mission.

“The mission isn’t complete until we ensure the safety and the return of the crew back home,” Seiler said.

USS John P. Murtha amphibious naval ship is already staged in the Pacific, ready for the recovery. NBC 7’s Brooke Martell walks us through the splashdown process, and the key role San Diego plays in getting the four astronauts safely back to land. 

Around 100 NASA and contractor personnel, in addition to support from the United States Navy, are in place for when the Orion spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, some 50 miles off the coast of San Diego.

In the recovery operation, a naval ship will be out at sea to transport the astronauts and spacecraft after splashdown.

“We deploy from the Naval Base San Diego, approximately three to four days before splashdown. What we do is we position ourselves about what we consider our midway point, and we will be ready at the splashdown location within 24 hours, just prior,” Seiler said.

They’ll be waiting for the entry interface, which is when the spacecraft and astronauts will re-enter the atmosphere. The team waiting at sea will follow the spacecraft with their imagery helicopter equipment through splashdown, monitoring any jettison debris that comes off the spacecraft once it hits the atmosphere, according to Seiler.