Overview
- USS John P. Murtha, designated by the Navy on Monday, is preparing to retrieve Orion and its four astronauts after a Friday splashdown off San Diego.
- MH‑60S Sea Hawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 will film Orion’s descent, pick up the crew after they exit the capsule, and fly them to the ship for medical checks.
- Navy divers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 will secure the capsule at sea and guide it into the ship’s floodable well deck for safe loading.
- The amphibious transport dock brings a well deck, flight operations, medical facilities, and strong communications to speed recovery and postflight data collection.
- Artemis II, the first crewed flight of NASA’s SLS and Orion, has already surpassed the Apollo 13 distance record, and the recovery will feed lessons for later Artemis missions.