NASA is being strangely secretive about what’s wrong with Orion’s heat shield

NASA finally knows what caused the erosion of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield after its historic journey to the moon in 2022, but the space agency isn’t saying anything, at least not yet.

At a Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) meeting in Houston, NASA officials revealed that they had identified the reason why the Orion heat shield broke off during the Artemis 1 mission, but declined to share what it was. “We have a compelling determination of what the cause of the problem is,” Lori Glaze, acting deputy administrator at NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said at the Monday meeting, SpaceNews reported. “I’m not going to share it now. When it comes out, it all comes out together.”

NASA is still determining how to proceed with the Artemis 2 mission, which will launch in September 2025, according to Glaze. The space agency is conducting additional tests to reduce erosion of the crew capsule during atmospheric reentry. These tests will be completed by the end of November.

A unscrewed Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022, after a 26-day trip to the moon and back as part of the Artemis 1 mission. The mission was a success, but follow-up inspections of the capsule revealed a problem unexpected heat shield performance.

During Orion’s reentry through Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft traveled at speeds of 24,600 miles per hour (39,590 kilometers per hour) and its heat shield endured temperatures above 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Although NASA engineers expected some charring to occur, more ablative material was released from the shield than they expected.

Since then, NASA has been conducting tests on the Orion spacecraft to determine what caused it to suffer all that unexpected damage. As the space agency prepares to send a crew of four astronauts aboard Orion for the Artemis 2 mission, it really needs to fix any issues that could threaten the crew’s safety.

Earlier in May, NASA’s Office of Inspector General has released a report on NASA’s readiness to launch its Artemis 2 missionidentifying Orion’s heat shield as one of the critical issues that need to be addressed before the trip to the moon and back. “Parts of the char layer wore away differently than NASA engineers predicted, causing the spacecraft to crack and break off into fragments that created a trail of debris instead of melting away as intended,” the report said.

The report added that the heat shield’s performance “creates a risk that the heat shield may not adequately protect the capsule’s systems and crew from the extreme heat upon return on future missions.” In response, NASA said it was working to resolve the problem by replacing heat shield components or altering Orion’s return trajectory.

Based on the latest statements from NASA officials, the space agency may not have yet decided on a way forward. The Orion heat shield that will be used for Artemis 2 is already installed on the underside of the crew capsule. Replacing any of its parts would therefore require dismantling the spacecraft. “We know what needs to be done for future missions, but the Artemis 2 heat shield has already been built, so how can we ensure astronaut safety with Artemis 2?” Glaze said at the meeting, according to SpaceNews.

At a press conference in August 2023, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis 2 mission, said: “We’re not going to launch this crew until we know we’re ready, until our team knows the vehicle is ready. and we will keep the pressure on.”

We’re not sure why NASA is keeping the reason secret, but the fact that space agency officials aren’t ready to share the news yet suggests that it could be really bad, and perhaps it could mean a further delay in the Artemis program This is necessary to ensure the safety of the crew.

NASA has already done that has delayed its Artemis timeline to address safety and technical issues related to the spacecraft. The Artemis 2 mission was originally planned for November 2024 and the follow-up mission Artemis 3, originally planned for late 2025, will not launch until September 2026.

With this ongoing heat shield problem, NASA’s willingness to launch a crew to the moon and back in less than a year is questionable.