Mission Control tension mounts as Artemis astronauts speed closer to splashdown

The Artemis II crew pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home to Earth (Nasa via AP)

The tension in Houston’s Mission Control is mounting as the Artemis II astronauts aim for a splashdown in the Pacific in the early hours of Saturday to close out humanity’s first voyage to the Moon in more than half a century.

All eyes will be on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during re-entry.