NASA’s postflight assessment, published October 15, 2026, found nine spots of char loss of varying sizes on the Artemis II heat-shield dish, compared with 103 on Artemis I. NASA also assessed cracking and char loss as reduced by a factor of ten relative to Artemis I, and said Orion’s aerodynamic and aerothermal performance was in line with engineering predictions based on preflight analyses and ground tests (NASA’s technical assessment.)
The Artemis I comparison
| Mission | Char-loss spots on the heat-shield dish |
| Artemis I | 103 |
| Artemis II | 9 |
The counts refer to spots where char was lost; the nine Artemis II spots varied in size. NASA’s factor-of-ten assessment describes the reduction in cracking and char loss, while the spot counts give a separate measure of the findings.
Why NASA changed Orion’s entry trajectory
After the Artemis I heat-shield investigation, NASA modified the Artemis II entry trajectory to shorten the maximum downrange distance between atmospheric entry and splashdown. NASA said the change was intended to limit the time Orion spent in the temperature range associated with the Artemis I heat-shield phenomenon.
Orion’s entry and landing accuracy
NASA reported that Orion entered within 192 feet of its targeted entry interface and splashed down 0.59 miles from the predicted landing site. These figures describe how closely the spacecraft met its flight-path targets.
The rest of Orion’s thermal protection
The heat shield is made of 186 Avcoat blocks. NASA also reported expected performance across the Orion backshell’s 1,300 ceramic tiles, with no signs of overheating at features protecting or sealing the windows, vents, thrusters, and side hatch.
NASA’s October 15 assessment said laser-scan comparisons, sample extraction, material testing, and thermal analysis were continuing. Sample extraction and internal X-ray scans at Marshall Space Flight Center had begun in August 2026.
