All articles tagged with #orion heat shield
US Navy divers photographed Orion’s Avcoat heat shield after Artemis II’s splashdown off San Diego on April 10, 2026; NASA says the image shows significantly reduced charring, addressing earlier concerns raised after Artemis I. The heat shield protected the capsule from about 3,000°C during re-entry at hypersonic speeds, and ongoing inspections and imagery are providing vital data for future missions.
Artemis II plans to launch a four-astronaut crew to the Moon aboard NASA’s Orion capsule, despite ongoing concerns about the heat shield made with Avcoat after Artemis I’s damage. NASA says it has mitigated the risk with a modified reentry path and updated risk analysis, and the heat shield will not be replaced for Artemis II. But several experts warn the risk remains nontrivial, highlighting uncertainties in the modeling and the possibility of cracks or material loss during reentry, making this a controversial decision about crew safety.