NASA’s Orion capsule experienced heat shield complications during the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in late 2022. Now, engineers believe the improvements made will ensure that Artemis 2 avoids the same pitfalls, clearing the path for safe re-entry and future exploration.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket achieved a major milestone by deploying its first mock Starlink satellites and testing new heat shield tiles on re-entry. This breakthrough comes after a series of testing challenges, highlighting Starship’s evolving capabilities.