science
NASA Prepares Artemis II Mission Despite Known Heat Shield Concerns on Orion Spacecraft
NASA plans to launch the crewed Artemis II mission around the Moon using the Orion spacecraft, which features a heat shield with documented damage from the uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022. The agency has adjusted the reentry trajectory to mitigate risks and asserts crew safety. Some former NASA personnel question the decision to proceed without further modifications.
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NASA's Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch in the coming months, will send four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch from NASA, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency—on a lunar orbit. The mission tests the Orion spacecraft's capabilities in a crewed environment for the first time.
5 feet in diameter, relies on its heat shield to protect the crew during atmospheric reentry at speeds exceeding 24,000 miles per hour.
The heat shield, made of Avcoat material, showed unexpected damage after the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022. Post-flight analysis revealed pockmarks and erosion on the shield's underside, prompting an investigation by NASA and independent experts. NASA determined the damage resulted from the manufacturing process of the Avcoat blocks, leading to minor charring but no structural compromise.
heat shield design evolved from the Apollo program's Avcoat application.
In 2009, NASA selected Avcoat for its proven performance, but manufacturing challenges arose during preparation for the 2014 Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). The original honeycomb structure caused cracks and uneven curing, making it unsuitable for lunar reentry demands. In 2015, NASA and Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor, switched to a block-based application to improve efficiency.
Textron Systems licensed the Avcoat material to Lockheed Martin for this purpose. The modified design was used on Artemis I, but the resulting damage led to the current concerns. NASA's investigation, completed about a year ago, concluded that flying the existing shield with a modified reentry path ensures safety.
The adjustment reduces heat exposure by altering the trajectory slightly. Lockheed Martin supports this approach and commits to the mission's success.
