Almost three years ago, NASA officially announced the Space Launch System (SLS) project for the next manned space missions, even beyond the Moon. The first test launch is scheduled for the end of 2017 but according to a report by GAO (Government Accountability Office), a U.S. Congressional investigation section dedicated to auditing, the budget for this project isn’t enough to keep that deadline.
So far, NASA and the industries involved in the construction of the SLS claimed that the project development is proceeding according to schedule. Instead, according to the analysis made by GAO, in particular the development of the core stage, the first stage of the rocket common to all its configurations, is likely to take too long.
That assessment for the moment is theoretical but according to GAO the SLS core stage is still in an early stage of development and still has to pass several key steps to be ready. The time for its development, even according to conservative estimates which included reserves months, may not be enough.
According to GAO, there is a 90% probability that there are developmental delays of the SLS that will force to go beyond the scheduled date for the first test launch in December 2017. The missing budget is estimated in $400 million on a total of $12 billion.
According to GAO, NASA may review the budget of other projects to use a part for the SLS or postpone the first test to use part of the 2018 budget. According to NASA, it will be possible to stay within budget with appropriate adjustments of the work schedule and minimizing certain costs but big NASA projects have a strong tendency to exceed the budget and have developmental delays.
The controversy over the NASA management is nothing new. The political side is essential since there is always the U.S. Congress which have to approve the budget. In the case of high-profile projects like the SLS, many critics argue that representatives are trying to involve as many industries as possible. At a time like this it can be beneficial to the economy by creating jobs, but the costs can go up tremendously.
In recent years, NASA is also funding SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation to build three spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts into orbit. The budget for this program is much less than the SLS’s, a complete launch system toward deep space, so some comparisons that you can read are not correct.
At this moment it’s really difficult to say when the SLS will be ready for its first test launch. It’s possible that one of the private companies funded by NASA will send astronauts into orbit before the SLS, the real big challenge will be sending them into deep space.
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