Artemis II heat shield shows light char during Earth entry

Artemis II astronauts reported a smooth re-entry from the Moon with only light char loss on the Orion capsule’s heat shield shoulder; NASA said the shield performed as expected, adjusted the entry angle to reduce heat on future flights, and noted speeds during descent reached around Mach 32–39 before parachutes eased the capsule to a Pacific splashdown, with engineers set to review data ahead of Artemis III’s planned lunar landing.