BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — After Artemis II’s successful return, engineers are digging into the data to see exactly how Orion and the Space Launch System performed in flight.
One of the first clues? Orion’s heat shield.
U.S. Navy divers captured images of it moments after splashdown, and while it may look intact at first glance, experts say there’s a lot more to learn beneath the surface.
“Looks great, but that’s not sufficient,” said space analyst Dr. Ken Kremer. “They need to do a detailed scientific analysis with X-rays and other physical measurements.”
That deeper inspection will happen at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, after the capsule is processed at Kennedy Space Center.
Even so, this particular heat shield won’t fly again. NASA already decided to modify the design following unexpected charring seen during the uncrewed Artemis I mission.
Looking ahead, Artemis III could launch as soon as next year. The mission is expected to test key docking maneuvers in low Earth orbit — a critical step toward getting astronauts back to the Moon.
But there’s a potential holdup.
“For Artemis III, it looks like SLS and Orion will be ready,” Kremer said. “The real question is whether the human landing system is ready.”
That system is being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. If it’s not ready in time, the timeline could slip.
Meanwhile, hardware for Artemis III is already on the move. The top portion of the SLS core stage is currently headed to Florida aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge, with arrival at Kennedy Space Center expected next week.
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