WATCH LIVE: Artemis II splashes down in Pacific Ocean following moon mission

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN/AP) — The Artemis II astronauts are on track for a splashdown in the Pacific to close out humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.

The tension in Houston’s Mission Control is mounting as the miles between the four returning astronauts and Earth melt away.

Their Orion capsule is expected to hit 32 times the speed of sound as it reenters the atmosphere on Friday. It’s a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.

The recovery ship is already in position, awaiting the crew’s arrival, along with military planes and helicopters.

You can watch the splashdown live in this browser starting at 6 p.m.