In December 2022, an unmanned Artemis I Orion spacecraft made a splash in the Pacific Ocean, before the U.S. Navy recovered and transported the capsule to San Diego.
Fast forward to 2025, preparations for Artemis II are well underway. This time it will be manned with a four person crew, flying 600,000 miles from Earth and back, becoming the first to orbit the moon in more than half-a-century.
NASA and the Department of Defense are once again relying on the Navy to help complete the mission.
“It’s all about bringing the astronauts home," said Capt. Andy Koy, who's been in the Navy for two decades.
When the Artemis II craft lands about 60 miles off the coast of California, the Navy will have a team ready to recover the capsule and crew inside.
They have two hours to bring them safely onto the USS Somerset, currently stationed at the Naval Base near National City.
“We have to have all of the capabilities that NASA requires," said Koy, the ship's commanding officer. "So that's our medical professionals, our aviators, our small boat teams, our ship drivers — all of those people contribute to that."
In total, Koy said more than 600 Navy personnel will play a role in the mission. He know because they've practiced it several times, most recently completing Underway Recovery Test 12 (URT-12) this past week.
“I would like to say it's just another day," joked Caleb Darrington, a longtime naval aviator, referring to URT-12. "It is not another day, but man, from about the time we joined the fleet, this is what we practiced for."
Darrington was in charge of the helicopter fleet. Part of their job is to airlift the astronauts from the Crew Module Test Article (or test capsule) to the ship.
Deniz Burnham, an astronaut herself and University of California, San Diego alum, represented one of the Artemis II crew members in the most recent recovery test.
"I have my helicopter license, and I have to say, being hoisted by a helicopter is a vastly different experience," she said. "Hard not to look at the main rotor, but it was incredible.”
The goal is to eventually have humans back on the moon for Artemis III, but that starts with a successful Artemis II.
No one is taking this opportunity for granted.
“I never thought that I would have an opportunity to do this," Koy said. "It's a once in a lifetime chance.”
Artemis II has been delayed a couple times, but Burnham and others told ABC 10News the historic 10-day trip will happen no later than April 2026.
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