07 April 2026 Heading Home, NPS Alumni Leading Artemis II Locked In for Return to Earth Next stop — Earth.Following a historic lunar flyby at a record-setting distance, the Artemis II crew is now on its return journey, with splashdown expected Friday in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 50-60 miles off the coast of San Diego. Awaiting their arrival will be USS John P. Murtha...
07 April 2026 NRL's Advanced Payloads Soar into Orbit Aboard STPSat-7 Mission WASHINGTON,D.C. – U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) successfully launched three advanced experimental payloads aboard the Department of War (DoW) Space Test Program’s (STP) Satellite-7 mission at approximately 4:33 a.m. PDT on April 7 from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force...
06 April 2026 USS John P. Murtha to support NASA's Artemis II mission SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, Amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is slated to serve as the recovery ship for the Orion spacecraft and its crew upon their return from the historic Artemis II mission...
06 April 2026 USS Ashland Completes Ship Wartime Repair and Maintenance Exercise in the Philippines CEBU, Philippines – Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) completed a ship wartime repair and maintenance exercise (SWARMEX), April 5, as part of its scheduled port visit to Cebu...