NASA says Artemis II report by its inspector general is unhelpful and redundant

NASA's acting inspector general, George A. Scott, released a report Wednesday that provided an assessment of NASA's readiness to launch the Artemis II mission next year. This is an important flight for the space agency because, while the crew of four will not land on the Moon, it will be the first time humans have flown into deep space in more than half a century.

The report did not contain any huge surprises. In recent months the biggest hurdle for the Artemis II mission has been the performance of the heat shield that protects the Orion spacecraft during its fiery reentry at more than 25,000 mph from the Moon.

Although NASA downplayed the heat shield issue in the immediate aftermath of the uncrewed Artemis I flight in late 2022, it is clear that the unexpected damage and charring during that uncrewed mission is a significant concern. As recently as last week, Amit Kshatriya, who oversees development for the Artemis missions in NASA's exploration division, said the agency is still looking for the root cause of the problem.

This week's report from the inspector general—an independent office charged with investigating crime, fraud, waste, and mismanagement involving NASA programs—provides some additional details but does not change the overall conclusion. The unresolved issues with the heat shield pose a significant risk to NASA's plans to launch Artemis II in September 2025. Probably the most notable new information came in the form of two images that showed previously undisclosed details about the deep divots in the Orion heat shield after Artemis I.

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