Astronauts get first look at the spacecraft that will fly them around the moon

The four astronauts chosen to embark on a historic mission to fly around the moon in one year’s time had the opportunity to see their spacecraft for the first time. However, NASA issued a warning on Tuesday that there may be potential delays in the mission’s timeline.

Excitedly, the astronauts entered the unfinished Orion capsule, still adorned with red “Remove Before Flight” tags, and were in awe of what they saw.

“Nothing else looks like that … that’s what gave me shivers,” astronaut Christina Koch shared with reporters.

The U.S.-Canadian crew thoroughly inspected the capsule during their visit to Kennedy Space Center on Monday and Tuesday. NASA plans to send the four astronauts around the moon and back late next year.

However, investigations into the heat shield of the capsule could potentially result in delays for this groundbreaking lunar journey. In last year’s test flight, which had no crew onboard, unexpected charring and loss of material from the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule were observed. The heat shield is designed to protect the capsule from the intense heat experienced during reentry.

The subsequent mission of the Artemis program, which involves a moon landing, faces even more challenges and may be pushed back from late 2025 to 2026. The primary concern revolves around SpaceX’s Starship, the rocketship that will transport two NASA astronauts from lunar orbit to the south pole.

As SpaceX has only conducted one test flight of the Starship, leading to an explosion shortly after liftoff in April, NASA is apprehensive about whether Elon Musk’s company can meet all the required objectives within the given timeframe. NASA will only commit to a moon landing using the Starship once SpaceX completes multiple Starship orbital flights, establishes a refueling depot around Earth, and conducts a moon-landing dress rehearsal.

Jim Free, NASA’s exploration systems development chief, stated that the space agency should have a better understanding of the situation by the fall.

“It’s clear that we have a lot of work to do,” commented astronaut Victor Glover.

Despite these lingering concerns, the atmosphere inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building—named after the first person to set foot on the moon—was optimistic on Tuesday. The astronauts, who were assigned to the mission amid much excitement last spring, were asked about their experience being in such hallowed grounds.

Crew commander Reid Wiseman responded that while it wasn’t their own trip, the next moon landing is “going to carry the dream for us.”

Over 200 rock concert speakers were positioned around the capsule in preparation for an acoustic test later in the week. NASA planned to subject the capsule to up to 143 decibels of thunderous noise, simulating the sounds experienced during liftoff, to evaluate the durability of the windows, wiring, and other components.

Gesturing towards the capsule, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen remarked, “That’s real … It’s not a dream.”

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