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A massive rocket being designed by Boeing (NYSE: BA) to eventually send humans back to the moon and then beyond has been plagued by development issues that have doubled the program's price tag and could further delay an eventual launch, according to a new report by NASA's inspector general.
NASA's Space Launch System, which at 322 feet tall and producing 8.4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff would be the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V, has been plagued with "management, technical and infrastructure issues driven by Boeing's poor performance," according to the inspector general's report. The audit estimates NASA will spend at least $8.9 billion on SLS through 2021, double what was initially planned, due in part to the issues.
An artist's rendering of the Space Launch System rocketing into space. Image source: NASA.
The vehicle likely won't be ready to fly by June 2020, the current target, and the report also questions the sustainability of the final product. While Boeing takes most of the heat in the audit, there are a number of contractors with exposure to the larger program. Its viability could also impact others with similar aspirations, most notably Elon Musk's SpaceX.
A "national investment" in space
NASA in 2012 contracted with Boeing along with Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Orbital ATK (which is now owned by Northrop Grumman) to build the SLS and its related components, with an initial plan to achieve launch readiness by December 2017 and a first crewed mission by mid-2021. While the development deal was massive, the real payoff for contractors could come after the system is in service and generating up to $2.5 billion in revenue per launch.
The audit blamed Boeing for insufficient staffing and improper assembly of factory tools, among other issues.
Both Boeing and NASA emphasized the complexity of the challenge in explaining the cost overruns and delays. NASA official William Gerstenmaier in a statement called the audit "a fair assessment" but said "the design, development, manufacturing, testing, and operations of the system are highly complex and represent a national investment in a long-term commitment to deep space exploration."
Boeing in a statement said, "An unprecedented rocket program has inherent challenges; developing the first unit of a system that will safely carry humans into space, even more so."
But while the audit is new, some of these criticisms are not. The SLS was reportedly a hot topic at a conference held by the influential National Space Society back in June, with some questioning whether the expensive project could be justified.