Watch Artemis 2 race back to Earth in this telescope livestream tonight (April 9)

laptop screen showing live stream view of artemis 2 against background stars. — A Virtual Telescope Project livestream will track NASA's Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft as it races back toward Earth. Here's how to watch it live. (Image credit: Inset: Gianluca Masi, graphic made in Canva Pro.)

A Virtual Telescope Project livestream will track NASA's Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft as it races back toward Earth. Here's how to watch it live. (Image credit: Inset: Gianluca Masi, graphic made in Canva Pro.)

Artemis 2 is on its way back to Earth, and you can watch it speed through space live tonight in this Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) livestream (weather depending).

The broadcast, hosted by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, is scheduled to begin at 10:45 p.m. EDT on April 9 (0245 GMT on April 10) and is available here on Space.com and on VTP's official WebTV.

Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon&rsquo;s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis 2 crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon. Orientale basin is perched on the edge of the visible lunar surface. — Iconic "Earthset" image captured during Artemis 2's lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. (Image credit: NASA)

If the weather cooperates, tonight's livestream could offer one of the last chances to catch a glimpse of Orion in deep space before its fiery journey back through Earth's atmosphere.

Artemis 2 launched on April 1, sending four astronauts on a historic flight around the moon — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. During the mission, the crew flew thousands of miles beyond the moon and even captured sight of a total solar eclipse!

Now in the final stages of the mission, the astronauts are preparing for their return to Earth, with splashdown expected for Friday evening (April 10) in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego.

You can keep up to date with the latest Artemis 2 action with our Artemis 2 live blog.

Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase!