Pacific Ocean. (March 31, 2025): America is one step closer to returning to the Moon and beyond after the third successful recovery test of NASA’s crewed Artemis II spacecraft. In this photo by MC2 Olivia Rucker, Sailors assigned to the amphibious transfer dock USS Somerset and NASA personnel assist astronauts onto the “front porch”, an inflatable raft, during exercise Underway Recovery Test 12. The mission is to ensure the astronauts are recovered and safely transported to waiting ships within two hours of splashdown.

Artemis II’s ten-day mission will carry four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon, the first since Apollo 17 in 1972. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Kock, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen will reenter the earth’s atmosphere travelling 25,000 mph landing approximately sixty miles off the coast of California.

Once the crew splashes down, a group of Navy divers will descend on the capsule to ensure it is safe for the astronauts to exit. They will then open the spaceship hatch to assist each flyer onto the “front porch” to be transported to the dock ship via helicopter. The next step is to recover and tow the space capsule to the ship’s well deck. The USS Somerset is ideally equipped to make these at-sea recoveries with its expansive well deck, medical facilities, and cargo capacity.

Artemis II is scheduled for launch in April 2026.