NASA Boondoggle: Spacecraft to Carry Astronauts to Moon Suffered Heat Shield Failures in Test Flight

According to a report recently released by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Orion spacecraft, designed to transport astronauts to the moon in the coming years, faced several critical issues during its 2022 uncrewed test flight.

Smithsonian Magazine reports that according to the report, the test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution, which pose significant risks to the safety of the crew. The inspector general emphasizes that if the heat shield problem were to occur on future Artemis missions, it could lead to the loss of the vehicle or crew.

The Artemis 1 rocket stands ready on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch is scheduled for Monday morning Aug. 29. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

During the 25.5-day Artemis 1 mission, which launched on November 16, 2022, the uncrewed Orion capsule orbited the moon, performed two lunar flybys, and returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.

However, the protective “char layer” material from the heat shield wore away unexpectedly in more than 100 locations during reentry, cracking and breaking off the spacecraft in pieces instead of melting away as intended. This issue raises concerns about the adequacy of protection for the crew and spacecraft from the extreme heat of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit experienced during reentry.

In addition to the heat shield problems, some bolts on Orion unexpectedly melted and eroded. NASA has made minor changes to the bolt design for Artemis 2, but the bolts’ performance is tied to how the agency addresses the heat shield issue. The spacecraft also encountered power distribution anomalies in its electrical power system, which NASA attributes to radiation and plans to address through software changes.

The launch of the spacecraft caused more damage than expected to the mobile launcher, with repairs costing $26 million, more than five times the $5 million NASA had allocated for repairs.