Artemis I’s unusual Earth re-entry

Artemis I’s Orion vehicle is set to skip like a stone across Earth’s atmosphere during re-entry – a technique never before attempted by a passenger spacecraft


ORION CAPSULE: 
Mass: 8.5 tonnes 
Diameter: 5m 
Crew: 2-6
(Artemis I mission unmanned)

Re-entry velocity: 32,000km/h

Heat shield: Must withstand 2,700°C heat of re-entry


EARTH RE-ENTRY METHODS

Direct entry (as used by Apollo missions)

Short skip entry

Long skip entry (used by Artemis Orion capsule)

120 Altitude (000s of metres)
100
 80
 60
 40
 20
  0
	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Entry range flown (000s of kilometres)


Dec 11: Splashdown
Pacific Ocean
San Diego
UNITED STATES
Gulf of Mexico


Sources: Gizmodo, NASA, Lockheed Martin
Pictures: NASA, Earth 3D
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