splashdown
noun
splash·down
ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n 
plural splashdowns
: the landing of a crewed spacecraft in the ocean
splash down
intransitive verb
Examples of splashdown in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Following its lunar flyby, Artemis II returns to Earth for a splashdown scheduled for April 10.
—
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The mission is expected to last about 10 days, with the crew reaching the moon's vicinity around day five or six before returning to Earth for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The trajectory The mission is on a flight path that keeps the spacecraft in Earth's gravitational influence past the moon, then falls back to the planet for splashdown.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Once all teams give the go-ahead, Integrity will continue along its route, with the help of a few trajectory correction burns along the way to keep the spacecraft precisely on course for splashdown.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splashdown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The mission is expected to last about 10 days, with the crew reaching the moon's vicinity around day five or six before returning to Earth for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The trajectory The mission is on a flight path that keeps the spacecraft in Earth's gravitational influence past the moon, then falls back to the planet for splashdown.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Once all teams give the go-ahead, Integrity will continue along its route, with the help of a few trajectory correction burns along the way to keep the spacecraft precisely on course for splashdown.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splashdown
Cite this Entry
“Splashdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splashdown. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
splashdown
noun
splash·down
ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n
: the landing of a spacecraft in the ocean
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
