![The heat shield for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft is installed on the base of the capsule. Credit: NASA](https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FzqKJsDWAAg4sU8.jpg)
The warmth shield for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft is installed on the bottom of the capsule. Credit: NASA
With some 18 months until the crewed Artemis 2 mission, teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida have accomplished the installation of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.
The 16.5-foot (5-meter) heat shield is designed to guard the Orion capsule and its 4 crew members from the warmth of reentry — nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius) — after getting back from the vicinity of the Moon. In line with NASA, conditions contained in the vehicle during this time are expected to stay within the mid-70s Fahrenheit (lower 20s Celsius).
Later this summer the agency expects technicians to outfit the capsule with a few of its external panels ahead of acoustic testing to make sure the spacecraft can withstand vibrations created during launch, in-flight events in addition to reentry and landing. NASA says the capsule might be attached to its service module after acoustic testing.
The European-built service module itself is undergoing final checkouts at KSC, having accomplished its acoustic testing in May. The service module includes fuel, propulsion, power and life support commodities for astronauts.
Aboard the 10-day Artemis 2 flyby mission might be NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch in addition to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Liftoff atop a Space Launch System rocket is anticipated to occur as early as November 2024.
![The service module for the Artemis 2 mission underwent acoustic testing in May. Credit: NASA](https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_3676-adjusted-1024x575-1.jpg)
The service module for the Artemis 2 mission underwent acoustic testing in May. Credit: NASA