NASA reported on October 16, 2026, that the Orion spacecraft's heat shield performed as expected during the Artemis II mission, which splashed down on April 10, 2026. Shortly after splashdown, U.S. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the heat shield.

In the months that followed, the agency measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded the crew and Orion systems as the spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere. According to NASA, this analysis confirmed the heat shield worked as intended.

The image was credited to the U.S. Navy. NASA also pointed readers to further information on how Orion's heat shield was examined.