Overview
- The crewed Orion capsule is set to plunge through Earth’s atmosphere on its return from the Moon, the mission’s most dangerous phase.
- Survival hinges on a 16.5-foot-wide Avcoat heat shield that is built to shed material in a controlled way as speeds reach about 25,000 mph and heating nears 5,000°F.
- Artemis I splashed down with more than 100 cracks and gouges, and a 2024 NASA review said the shield showed “unexpected behavior” that could threaten future crews.
- NASA and Lockheed Martin traced the issue to Avcoat packed too densely, which trapped hot gases, and the builder says it reduced the density for Artemis II.
- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first to face a full reentry with the revised shield, a key proof point for the Artemis program.