Artemis II Completes Crewed Lunar Flyby and Returns to Earth

Artemis II completed a crewed lunar flyby and returned to Earth. The mission carried four astronauts and was the first crewed Orion flight.

Artemis II carried four astronauts and was the first crewed Orion flight.

Orion's heat shield performed as expected. The thermal protection system showed a significant reduction in cracks and char loss, and Orion's aerodynamic and aerothermal performance was in line with engineering predictions.

Orion's vehicle specifications included 39 Mach and a temperature exceeding 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Orion cabin was recorded in the mid-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The reentry trajectory was modified to shorten the maximum downrange distance. Pre-mission analysis found that limiting downrange distance would reduce heat shield time in the temperature range.

Reentry was within 192 feet of the targeted entry interface. Splashdown occurred off the coast of San Diego, 0.59 miles from the predicted landing site, and the Artemis II spacecraft returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The heat shield uses 186 Avcoat blocks, and its design was consistent from Artemis I to Artemis II. Post-flight laser scans compared material recession.

Artemis II recorded 9 char loss spots, while Artemis I recorded 103 char loss spots. The heat shield showed a factor of ten reduction.

The backshell has 1,300 ceramic tiles. It met expectations over the crew module surface, and backshell penetrations met expectations.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, Artemis II provides a completed crewed lunar flyby and return with verified specifics on crewed Orion flight, heat shield behavior, reentry accuracy, and splashdown location.