Artemis II capsule returns to Florida as NASA reports Artemis III heat shield beats expectations

Heat shield performance exceeded Artemis I in flight data

The Artemis II Orion capsule has returned to Florida after completing a historic crewed lunar mission, and NASA says its heat shield is performing even better than it did during Artemis I. At the same time, Artemis III progress continues: the SLS rocket’s core stage and boosters have arrived, with a 2027 launch planned to test key lunar landing technologies.