In a way, Orbit was planned since 2012. (Destiny)

by someotherguy, Hertfordshire, England, Monday, July 21, 2014, 12:43 (3778 days ago) @ Beorn

I agree that two "Normal" settings are confusing, so I've chalked it up to Beta status.

It seems like that's variable based on your level, giving you a "You will find this normal" vs. "You will find this hard", rather than Normal difficulty vs. Hard difficulty.

So you've got the default mode, then you've got it with the "Heroic" modifier. When you're level 2 (for example) the level 2 story mission Restoration lists the Default as normal and Heroic as Hard. But when you're level 8 they'll both be comparatively easy, so they both get listed as Normal.