NASA analysis finds nine char-loss spots on the Artemis II heat shield against 103 on Artemis I

19 October 2026

NASA said a post-flight review of the Artemis II heat shield found its aerodynamic and aerothermal performance matched pre-flight predictions. Artemis II splashed down on April 10, 2026. During re-entry the Orion spacecraft reached about 39 times the speed of sound, external temperatures peaked above 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit while the cabin stayed in the mid-70s Fahrenheit, and the craft entered within 192 feet of its targeted entry interface and landed 0.59 miles from the predicted site off San Diego. Shortening the allowable downrange distance during entry reduced cracking and char loss by a factor of ten compared with Artemis I: engineers counted 9 char-loss spots on the Artemis II heat shield against 103 on Artemis I. The heat shield uses 186 unique Avcoat blocks and the backshell carries 1,300 ceramic tiles.