The high-speed, safe return to Earth of the Artemis 2 moon crew depends on the thermal protection system of the mission's Orion's crew module. It must endure blistering temperatures to keep crew members safe.
However, following the uncrewed Artemis 1 lunar flight test in late 2022, it was found that ablative thermal protective material had unexpectedly chipped away from Orion's heat shield during its plunge through Earth's atmosphere.
