NASA’s Orion spacecraft has ‘critical issues’ with its heat shield, report finds

NASA is intending to use its new Orion capsule to send astronauts to the moon under its Artemis program, but a new report finds that issues with the capsule’s heat shield could be a risk to crew safety. The report from NASA ’s inspector general was released this week and details issues with the heat shield, which lost some material during the first flight of Orion during the Artemis I mission in 2022.

Recommended Videos NASA had already shared information about the issues with the heat shield in a briefing last year, although Orion program manager Howard Hu said at the time that while there was more charred material than expected, there was still significant margin left over on the heat shield and that this was not a safety concern. The heat shield is designed to be ablated to some extent, but the inspector general appears to consider the issue more serious than NASA previously announced.

Earlier this year, NASA announced it was pushing the launch date of Artemis II from November 2024 to September 2025, and at the time, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that, “Safety is our top priority,” and that the new timeline would give teams more time to work on the challenges of the mission.

Artemis NASA Orion Space

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Watch NASA begin testing its Orion capsule for lunar flybyDT Video
Source: DigitalTrends - 🏆 95. / 65 Read more »

NASA still investigating Orion heat shield issues from Artemis 1 moon missionLeonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.
Source: SPACEdotcom - 🏆 92. / 67 Read more »

NASA inspector general finds Orion heat shield issues 'pose significant risks' to Artemis 2 crew safetyBrett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more.
Source: SPACEdotcom - 🏆 92. / 67 Read more »

NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Passes the Test: Completes Electromagnetic Testing for Moon MissionScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

NASA Mission Critical Coding: Understanding Risk, Artificial Intelligence, and Improving Software QualityScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

Fashion Designer Stephen Sprouse's Collaboration with NASAThis article explores fashion designer Stephen Sprouse's collaborations with NASA, including his use of NASA photos on Mars and interplanetary prints based on NASA imagery.
Source: voguemagazine - 🏆 715. / 51 Read more »