NASA concludes the Orion heat shield investigation
NASA reported that the Artemis I char loss occurred because gases generated within the Avcoat material could not vent during the skip-entry profile, causing cracking and shedding. NASA elected to fly Artemis II on the already-built heat shield with a modified entry trajectory rather than rebuild it.
Observed — measured or witnessed, with the observation cited.
Subjects
- Orion (Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) · spacecraft · not located
- Artemis I · mission · not located
- Artemis II · mission · not located
Evidence
Verified — Every field is supported by a cited authoritative source.
NASA findings on the Artemis I Orion heat shield char loss
Concludes that gases generated within the Avcoat ablator could not vent during the skip-entry profile, causing cracking and material loss, and records NASA's decision to fly Artemis II on the existing heat shield with a modified entry trajectory.
NASA · 2024-12-05 · Verified
NASA Artemis programme briefing, 5 December 2024
Recorded on Orion (Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle)
- Artemis I launches uncrewed from Launch Complex 39B
- Artemis I splashes down after 25 days
- NASA concludes the Orion heat shield investigation
- Artemis II launches — first crew beyond low Earth orbit since 1972
- Artemis II rounds the lunar far side and breaks the Apollo 13 distance record
- Artemis II splashes down off San Diego
- Artemis III crewed low Earth orbit demonstration (planned)
- Artemis IV first crewed lunar south pole landing (planned)
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- Artemis II splashes down off San Diego · 2026-04-10 20:07 EDT
- Artemis II rounds the lunar far side and breaks the Apollo 13 distance record · 2026-04-06
- Artemis II launches — first crew beyond low Earth orbit since 1972 · 2026-04-01 22:35 UTC
- Artemis III crewed low Earth orbit demonstration (planned) · planned — NASA target 2027
- Artemis IV first crewed lunar south pole landing (planned) · planned — no earlier than 2028
- Artemis I splashes down after 25 days · 2022-12-11
- Artemis I launches uncrewed from Launch Complex 39B · 2022-11-16 11:47 UTC