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Space
Space
Science
Mike Wall

Artemis 2's heat shield seems to have aced its trial by fire

The four Artemis 2 astronauts (at right) inspect their Orion capsule “Integrity” in the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha on April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Integrity splashed down a day earlier, ending the 10-day Artemis 2 moon mission.

Artemis 2's return to Earth went a lot more smoothly than some folks had feared.

The heat shield on Artemis 2's Orion capsule, which the crew named "Integrity," was the topic of considerable discussion in the lead-up to the mission's April 10 splashdown — for several years before that, in fact.

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