Artemis II heat shield on Orion Integrity withstood re-entry heating better than Artemis I

Harriet Pemberton • May 01, 2026 20:33

Artemis II: Orion Integrity heat shield looks stronger than the Artemis I version

Astronauts on Artemis II - the lunar fly-by mission - have reported that the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft’s Integrity capsule came through Earth return in good overall condition. Following the splashdown on 10 April, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen inspected the underside of the capsule while aboard a US Navy vessel, and the mission commander said the thermal protection looked “remarkable”.

Wiseman described only limited surface scorching at the interface area. “Of course, when we got up to the vehicle, there was a little charring on the so-called shoulder, where the heat shield meets the cone-shaped structure of the spacecraft. But the bottom - we leaned over and looked at the bottom of this thing - and for four people just looking at a heat shield, it seemed remarkable to us. It looked great,” Reid Wiseman said.

He also highlighted the return itself: “Coming home was really incredible. It was a very smooth landing,” he added.

Why NASA focused on the Artemis II heat shield after Artemis I

The heat shield drew particular scrutiny because of the Artemis I experience, when the uncrewed Orion suffered more damage than had been expected. For Artemis II, NASA adjusted the atmospheric entry profile, making it steeper so the vehicle would spend less time in the most extreme temperature conditions. Based on this initial inspection, that change appears to have delivered the intended result.

Even so, NASA specialists will carry out a detailed assessment of the thermal protection system over the coming weeks and months. Artemis II was also the final flight using this specific heat-shield configuration; for later missions, NASA plans to alter the design and its approach to re-entry.

In the next phase of the programme, Artemis III will practise docking with a lunar lander, while Artemis IV is expected to return people to the Moon, in the region of the south pole.