Find out how Huntsville is helping future Artemis missions

Throughout the first weeks of April, the world watched as NASA sent four astronauts further away from Earth than any human has ever dared to go before.

Now, those astronauts are back—and we have a lot to learn. Basically every aspect of the flight will be analyzed, and Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center will play a role in that.

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Artemis II mission overview + Huntsville’s future role

The Orion spacecraft carried its astronauts 694,481 miles before splashing down off the coast of San Siego (a miraculous 2.9 miles from their targeted landing site).

During re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft was traveling over 35 times the speed of sound (approx. 26,000 miles per hour) and experienced temperatures exceeding 4900 degrees fahrenheit.

This wouldn’t be possible with the extensive heat shielding and thermal protection system on the outside of the craft. This is another place where Huntsville steps in.

Over the summer, the heat shield will be transported to Huntsville where we will extract samples and conduct internal x-ray scans to gain a better insight into the system, which allows NASA to improve it for future missions.

Artemis III is currently planned for 2027 with missions to the Moon’s surface beginning in 2028.

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