SAN DIEGO — NASA’s Orion spacecraft will no longer be splashing down off the San Diego coast when it returns to the earth’s surface on Sunday.

The spacecraft is now expected to land in the Pacific Ocean near Guadalupe Island, west of Baja California, according to the NASA website.

The new landing site was decided by NASA’s mission management team after evaluating weather conditions for Sunday’s splashdown.

The Orion’s landing is part of NASA’s Artemis I mission, which is part of a series of missions to expand deep space exploration for humankind.

The Artemis I Moon Rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, sending the unmanned Orion spacecraft on a 25-day trip around the moon and back.

While no longer expected to land near San Diego, NASA expects the landing to go smoothly.

“At present, we are on track to have a fully successful mission with some bonus objectives that we’ve achieved along the way,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager.” 

The Orion spacecraft is expected to to splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 9:39 a.m. PST Sunday, according to NASA.