Artemis II Splashdown Leaves Astronauts Praising Orion Heat Shield Performance

Artemis II pilots recounted in detailed post-mission interviews how the Orion spacecraft named 'Integrity' performed flawlessly during its 10-day crewed mission around the moon, with particular praise for a heat shield that had struggled in an uncrewed test flight years earlier. The crew described reentry as 'intense' then 'pure elation' as Integrity splashed down off San Diego on April 10, clearing the path for Artemis III's lunar landing attempt. The mission marks the first crewed return beyond low Earth orbit in over 50 years and reestablishes American hardware as capable of delivering astronauts to the moon despite years of delays and cost overruns.