Artemis 2's heat shield seems to have aced its trial by fire
By Mike Wall
Published on April 17, 2026.
The return of Artemis 2's heat shield to Earth went well, according to the Artemis crew. The heat shield, named "Integrity," had previously been a concern for several years. The Apollo mission was successful, but the heat shield suffered during its return trip through Earth's atmosphere. NASA decided to stick with the same heat shield design for the upcoming Artemis 2 moon mission, a decision that drew objections from some in the spaceflight community. However, the agency adjusted the mission's reentry trajectory to avoid the extreme temperature regimes experienced by Artemis 1. The next Artemis mission will likely stay in Earth orbit to test docking procedures with Orion and one or both of the Artemis program's privately developed lunar landers.
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