NASA Completes Artemis I Heat Shield Investigation, Delays Artemis II and III

NASA’s Artemis program took a big step toward returning humans to the Moon when the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) successfully sent the Orion capsule on its first lunar journey in late 2022. Since then, NASA has been investigating a spate of issues with the spacecraft, which has culminated in a new report. Along with updates on Orion, NASA has also confirmed yet another Artemis delay. The Artemis II mission has slipped into 2026, and the crewed landing will happen a year later.
The Artemis program is no stranger to delays, and it’s not surprising there were some issues to address after Orion’s first proper flight. NASA reported after Artemis I returned to Earth that the vehicle’s heat shield had experienced an unexpected loss of charred material. NASA intended to use this same material for future crewed missions, so engineers began investigating what caused the excessive shedding.
Orion uses ablative shielding, which is designed to fall away from the vehicle as it absorbs heat. NASA says it tested the material on Earth at even higher heat levels than the capsule experienced during Artemis I, but that turns out to have been a problem. Modeling of the vehicle’s landing showed that the “skip guidance” entry technique caused issues.
When Orion was headed back to Earth, it briefly dipped into the atmosphere to reduce its speed before maneuvering back into space using the resulting aerodynamic lift. This approach improves the spacecraft’s range, helping it reach the Pacific splashdown target. However, testing showed that energy continued accumulating in the Avcoat shielding after the atmospheric touch. This led to a buildup of gases that should be able to escape as part of the ablation process. Because the material was not continuously heated, it was insufficiently permeable to allow those gases to escape, leading to cracking and loss of material.
NASA says it will continue with the same heat shield setup for Artemis II, which will include a crew without a lunar landing. However, the vehicle’s reentry will be modified to avoid the issues seen with Artemis I. And to be clear, Artemis I landed without issue. However, NASA takes safety very seriously when it comes to human spaceflight.
“Throughout our process to investigate the heat shield phenomenon and determine a forward path, we’ve stayed true to NASA’s core values; safety and data-driven analysis remained at the forefront,” said NASA’s Catherine Koerner.
As NASA works toward ensuring Artemis is safe for astronauts, it is also acknowledging that it won’t hit the previous timeline for upcoming launches. Artemis II was last set for late 2025, but it is now expected no earlier than April 2026. Artemis III, which will feature the first human landing in decades, will come around the middle of 2027.
These are just the dates NASA has put on the books for now—there have been numerous delays before this one, and there could be more. It’s particularly hard to judge right now as NASA’s leadership is on the verge of a big shakeup. The incoming Trump administration has tapped Jared Isaacman as the next NASA administrator. Isaacman, who is closely tied to Elon Musk and SpaceX, has spoken negatively about SLS. If SLS or other elements of Artemis are scrapped, we could be looking at even more delays.
© 2001-2024 Ziff Davis, LLC., a Ziff Davis company. All Rights Reserved.
ExtremeTech is a federally registered trademark of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of ExtremeTech. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.

source