NASA redesigned Orion’s thermal protection layer to address minor localized erosion anomalies found after Artemis I.
Submerged images and recovery-ship inspections showed significantly less carbon char on Orion’s heat shield than on Artemis I.
Artemis II thermal protection performance was consistent with ground testing conducted at NASA’s arc jet facility after Artemis I.
HERA flew around the Moon in 2022 on Artemis I.
Artemis I and Artemis II will help NASA and ESA make Orion operational for future Artemis missions.
Redwire's cameras on Artemis I successfully captured imagery and video, including livestream views from the solar array wing cameras.
Argotec participated in NASA's Artemis program with ArgoMoon, the only European satellite among the ten launched on Artemis I.
The Coarse Sun Sensor assemblies performed successfully on Artemis I.
ArgoMoon was one of the few satellites from Artemis I to establish communication with Earth.
Artemis II is the second successful launch of the Boeing-built Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket after Artemis I in 2022.
Southern Launch’s Artemis II support builds on an earlier effort during Artemis I in 2022, when 10 volunteers tracked the Orion spacecraft.
Orion’s thermal shield from Artemis I testing must withstand temperatures near 2,800 degrees Celsius during reentry.
Artemis I orbited the Moon for 27 days without astronauts inside the spacecraft.
The European Service Module had already demonstrated its reliability during Artemis I in 2022.
NASA could not test Orion’s life-support system with humans on Artemis I.
Artemis I validated an uncrewed vehicle.
Artemis I launched years later than originally promised.
Artemis I slipped years beyond its early targets before finally flying.
The upgraded solid rocket boosters provided more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket thrust during the Artemis I test flight.
NASA will avoid larger planned modifications to the Space Launch System and Orion configurations following Artemis I, the upcoming Artemis II flight test, and a more robust test approach for Artemis III due to remaining development and production risks.