Overview
- NASA’s initial inspections and recovery-ship photos after the April 10 splashdown found Orion’s thermal protection system performed as expected with no unusual conditions.
- Engineers had removed the skip-entry maneuver used on Artemis I to prevent hot gas from getting trapped under the coating, and the change reduced abnormal charring in size and number.
- U.S. Navy divers photographed the underside of Orion underwater, and a clearer image showed a discolored area that matched a compression pad rather than a missing chunk.
- Teams will return the crew module to Kennedy Space Center this month for more checks, then send the heat shield to Marshall for sample extraction and internal X‑ray scans, with airborne reentry imagery also under review.
- NASA said results match post–Artemis I arc‑jet ground tests, and the new trajectory still delivered a precise splashdown about 2.9 miles from target, informing plans for future crewed lunar flights.