NASA successfully sent four astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, setting the stage for future lunar landing missions. As the agency continues to push the bounds of space exploration, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley provided essential support in preparing for the mission.
Artemis II was the first crewed test flight under NASA’s Artemis program. Launching on April 1, 2026, the mission demonstrated systems and hardware needed for deep space missions. Four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA’s (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – spent approximately 10 days traveling around the Moon and back inside the Orion spacecraft. The test flight built on lessons learned and results from the uncrewed test flight of Artemis I, which launched on November 16, 2022.
Ames continued to build on its contributions from Artemis I, advancing research, engineering, science, and technology for Artemis II.
After the crew set eyes on the far side of the Moon, making observations that will help us prepare for future lunar exploration, they began a four-day journey home. Orion returned home to Earth on a free return trajectory, being naturally pulled back by Earth’s gravity and entering the atmosphere at about 25,000 mph. Its heat shield protected the spacecraft from temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry.
NASA learned from Artemis I that Orion’s heat shield experienced more char loss than expected, caused by internal gas buildup during reentry. While Artemis I was uncrewed, flight data showed that had crew been aboard, they would have been safe. Engineers used revised analysis methods and extensive arc jet material testing to help understand root cause, reproduce the char loss, and ensured the heat shield would perform as intended during Orion’s return to Earth on a modified trajectory.
Ames engineers and researchers developed a suite of sensors to provide heat shield performance data during reentry, including temperature and pressure information. Ames also contributed to Orion’s 3D-MAT compression pads, which connect the crew module to the service module. This technology maintains strength under extreme heat while insulating the spacecraft. Developed through collaboration with small businesses, 3D-MAT demonstrates how NASA innovations can impact human spaceflight and beyond.
Understanding the heating conditions Orion faced during reentry as well as potential abort scenarios was key to mission success. The Ames Aerosciences team provided support in these key aerothermal simulations and developed an innovative tool that combines onboard pressure sensor data from Orion with advanced computer modeling. The result predicted the spacecraft’s path back to Earth more accurately, making reentry safer, more precise, and improving mission confidence.
The SLS rocket experienced higher-than-expected vibrations near the solid rocket booster attach points during Artemis I, caused by unsteady airflow between the boosters and the core stage. To address this, engineers added four strakes – thin, fin-like structures – to the SLS core stage for Artemis II. These strakes change the airflow and reduce vibration, improving safety during ascent. Ames, in collaboration with other centers, played a key role in validating this solution through supercomputer modeling and advanced wind tunnel testing using Unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint and high-speed cameras.
The team also reviewed potential debris impacts and analyzed the impact of strengthening parts of the vehicle after larger-than-expected debris was observed during Artemis I. Ames engineers also supported launch operations by monitoring aerodynamic data and debris analysis in real time.
This collaboration between wind tunnel engineers, data visualization scientists, and software developers delivered a quick, cost-effective solution that combines physical testing with computational modeling, building on NASA Ames’s history of using supercomputer simulations to further testing and research across the agency. The result is a refined rocket designed and optimized for Artemis II’s historic journey.
Ames funding through the Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program also led to new innovations that supported both Orion and SLS, including advanced material design, software development, safety sensors, and acoustic modeling.
As members of the Artemis II lunar science team, Ames scientists worked with flight operations at NASA’s Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to lead and guide the Artemis II crew through the mission’s lunar observations. Key science objectives included studying lunar color, impact history, tectonic features, and future landing sites, as well as characterizing dynamic events such as impact flashes.
The Ames scientists have been members of a team that trained the Artemis II crew over several years to use their eyes – remarkably sensitive instruments – to observe, describe, and interpret geologic variations in lunar features during the flyby. After launch, a timeline of targeted observations built by the lunar science team guided the crew to describe and photograph specific lunar targets, including craters, volcanic formations, and surface colorations. These firsthand observations, paired with imagery from Orion, create a unique dataset to inform future human exploration of the Moon.
Ames also supported mission assurance through its Mission and Fault Management team, which helps the agency anticipate and respond to potential problems by testing systems, verifying software, and creating tools to detect issues early through simulation and scenario testing.
The Cross-Program Integrated Data Systems team at Ames developed a suite of software products to support flight readiness, risk assessment, and decision making up to the moment of launch.
During Artemis II, Ames experts served as backup console operators and contributed to real-time analysis, helping NASA respond quickly to unexpected conditions. These efforts strengthened the reliability of critical systems and reduced risk for the crew.
Ames experts are heavily involved in the post-flight data analysis effort assessing the performance of the Mission and Fault Management logic during the Artemis II flight.
Learn more:
Ames contributions to Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/what-are-ames-contributions-to-artemis-i/
For news media:
Artemis II press kit: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-press-kit/
Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.
