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Parachutes and the Artemis II landing

In the Industry | April 13, 2026 | By:

Three red and white parachutes descend over blue ocean water, with a small spacecraft visible below them on the surface.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist aboard is seen as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, April 10, 2026. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Artemis II completed its 10-day journey around the moon, splashing down near San Diego in a near-perfect return to Earth right on time, April 11. A high-tech parachute system made a critical contribution to effectively slowing down the spacecraft from speeds exceeding 25,000 mph to a safe landing speed of 20 mph or less. 

The system consists of 11 parachutes:

  1. Three forward bay cover FBC) parachutes are used in conjunction with pyrotechnic thrusters to ensure separation of the FBC, which protects Orion and its parachutes during the heat of reentry. Each parachute is seven feet in diameter and eight pounds. The material is 100 percent Kevlar. Each FBC parachute is approximately 100 feet long from the FBC attachment to the crown when inflated. These deployed at 26,500 feet altitude and a vehicle speed of 475 feet per second. 
  2. Two Drogue parachutes are used to slow and stabilize the crew module during descent and establish proper conditions for main parachute deployment to follow. These are 23 feet in diameter, 80 pounds each and made of a Kevlar/Nylon hybrid material. The drogues deployed at 25,000 feet in altitude and a vehicle speed of 450 feet per second. 
  3. Three pilot parachutes are used to lift and deploy the main parachutes from the crew module forward bay. These are 11 feet in diameter, 11 pounds each, and made of a Kevlar/Nylon hybrid. They are deployed at 9,500 feet and a vehicle speed of 190 feet per second.
  4. There are three main parachutes used to slow the crew module for finally landing safely. These are also 11 feet in diameter, 11 pounds and a Kevlar/Nylon hybrid. They deployed at 9,500 feet and a vehicle speed of 190 feet per second. Each main parachute is approximately 265 feet long from the crew module attachment to the crown when inflated. 

Parachutes were designed and fabricated by Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California; the mortars were provided through Lockheed Martin by General Dynamics Ordinance & Tactical Systems, Seattle. Project management was performed by Jacobs Engineering’s Engineering Science Contract Group, Houston. The system testing was performed at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona. 

SOURCE: NASA

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