NASA finds Artemis II trajectory cut heat-shield cracking and char loss

NASA's post-flight assessment found that Orion's shorter reentry trajectory reduced heat-shield cracking and char loss by a factor of ten on Artemis II compared with Artemis I. Engineers identified nine spots of char loss on the heat-shield dish, compared with 103 on the earlier flight. The trajectory change limited time spent in the temperature range associated with the Artemis I damage. NASA says aerodynamic and thermal performance matched engineering predictions. Engineers continue extracting samples and comparing laser scans with pre-flight measurements to assess material loss and support future heat-shield development.