Wish them well. Next month, four astronauts are expected to board space capsule Orion, blast off on a rocket known as the Space Launch System, and exit low-Earth orbit for the first time since 1972, en route to a 10-day flyby of the moon.

Their mission will be riskier than it should be.

The planned flight is a crucial component of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Artemis mission which aims to return humans to the lunar surface. Thus far, the mission has been plagued by soaring costs, repeated delays, technical shortcomings, contracting woes, and burgeoning operational complexities. One former NASA chief recently called it "a path that cannot work."

Orion is an especially concerning element. Across two........

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