A historic splashdown is just days away off San Diego — and the Navy is ready to be a part of the action.
The San Diego-based USS John P. Murtha will be front and center to recover NASA’s Artemis II astronauts after their spacecraft hits the Pacific later this week, Navy officials confirmed Monday.
Sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock have been drilling nonstop ahead of the high-stakes return, with the crew’s capsule expected to splash down just after 5 p.m. Friday.
In a statement, the Navy said the ship has “unique advantages” that will help with recovering the Orion capsule and gathering “critical data to help ensure it’s ready to recover the astronauts and capsule during future Artemis missions.”
The ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Erik Kenny, called the mission “a fitting tribute” to its namesake, Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha.
“We are honored to carry on his legacy by supporting NASA and the Artemis II mission,” Kenny said.
A Navy helicopter squadron based out of Naval Air Station North Island will track the capsule as it streaks through Earth’s atmosphere, then pick up the four astronauts and deliver them to the ship for evaluation, the Navy said.
Navy divers will also plunge into the ocean to recover the Orion capsule and haul it onto the ship’s deck.
The dramatic return follows a history-making moment Monday, when the astronauts soared farther from Earth than any humans ever — breaking the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles set in 1970 during a lunar flyby, according to NASA.