NASA reckons Artemis II heat shield performed like a champ
theregister.com • • general
Key Points:
- NASA confirmed that the Orion heat shield successfully protected the Artemis II crew during re-entry, addressing prior concerns stemming from damage observed after Artemis I's return.
- The heat shield issues from Artemis I were linked to trapped gases caused by a skip re-entry maneuver, which NASA eliminated for Artemis II to improve shield performance.
- Post-mission inspections of Artemis II showed significantly reduced char loss on the heat shield, aligning with ground test results and indicating the trajectory change was effective.
- The Orion capsule's landing accuracy remained high, splashing down only 2.9 miles from the targeted site, comparable to Apollo-era missions.
- Other Artemis and SLS systems performed well, and reduced ground system damage during launch suggests minimal impact on preparations for Artemis III, which aims for a lunar rendezvous with commercial lander hardware.
