Orion Heat Shield Successfully Passes Post‑Splashdown Evaluation After Artemis II

NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft splashed down on April 10, 2026. U.S. Navy divers subsequently captured underwater imagery of Orion’s heat shield. In the months that followed, NASA engineers conducted a detailed assessment of the thermal protection system, verifying that it safeguarded the crew and spacecraft systems during Earth’s atmospheric reentry. The rigorous analysis confirmed that the heat shield performed as expected.

Image credit: US Navy

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