ABOUT ORION HEAT SHIELD SYSTEM
The Orion heat shield is the largest ablative heat shield ever built, measuring 5 meters in diameter. It uses AVCOAT ablator material in a honeycomb structure bonded to a titanium skeleton and carbon fiber skin. Designed for lunar return velocities of 11 km/s, it experiences temperatures exceeding 2,760 degrees Celsius during reentry.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Category | Thermal Protection |
| Subcategory | Heat Shield |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Mass | 970 kg |
| Power | 0 W |
| Dimensions | 5.0 m diameter, ~38 mm ablator depth |
| Redundancy | N/A (single shield, margin in ablator depth) |
| Standard | Human-rated lunar return |
| Status | Active |
| First Use | December 5, 2014 |
OPERATING PRINCIPLE
AVCOAT ablative material in fiberglass honeycomb structure absorbs and re-radiates reentry heating; charring and outgassing create boundary layer that blocks convective heat
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
| material | AVCOAT |
| diameter_m | 5.0 |
| max_temp_c | 2760 |
| entry_velocity_km_s | 11 |
MASS CONVERSIONS
| Kilograms | 970.0 kg |
| Pounds | 2,138.5 lbs |
VEHICLES USING ORION HEAT SHIELD SYSTEM (2)
