NASA Report: Orion capsule badly damaged in last launch

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A new report released by NASA is stating the Orion space capsule that returned from an uncrewed test flight in 2022 was badly damaged during flight.

The report released several photos showing the heat shielding had sustained severe damage during the test flight. This was much more damaged than NASA scientists had prepared for and more than they said in previous reports.

In the report, NASA scientists stated the “unexpected” behavior of the heat shielding poses a significant risk to he safety of future crewed missions. Several photos show deep potholes on the surface of the heat shields. Scientists said they were not able to reproduce the same amount of damage in testing but said they will continue during the first part of 2024.

But holes in the heat shields weren’t the only issue. NASA also found unexpected melting and erosion on the separation bolts during a post-flight inspection. They said if there are issues with the separation bolt during reentry, it could expose the capsule to hot gas and could destroy the vehicle.

These issues will likely delay NASA’s plan to land a human back on the Moon in September 2025.

You can read the full NASA report here.

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