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COLORADO SPRINGS – At a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in late July, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson deflected several questions about the future of the Artemis program and the agency’s ability to bring humans back to the lunar surface in 2024. He cited an imposed blackout period. by the Government Accountability Office’s assessment of protests by Blue Origin and Dynetics against NASA’s awarding of a single Human Landing System (HLS) contract to SpaceX in April. “I want you to ask me that question next week,” he said at one point, past the deadline for GAO to vote on the protests.
Next week has passed, but hasn’t given the agency the clarity it expected. GAO rejected both protests, but Blue Origin filed a lawsuit with the Federal Claims Court on August 13, effectively appealing the dismissal of the protest. On August 19, NASA announced that it would voluntarily suspend work on the HLS contract until November 1 in exchange for an expedited review of the case.
This is not the only challenge Artemis faces. NASA is backing adding a second company to the HLS program, but is seeking Congress to provide billions of dollars in additional funding to do so, either through the standard appropriation process or through a multibillion-dollar package that Congress will adopt through the reconciliation process. . And a report from the Office of the Inspector General of NASA on August 10 concluded that while the lunar lander is ready in 2024, the space suits astronauts would wear on their Artemis 3 moonwalks will not be finished until 2025.
SpaceNews senior editor Jeff Foust spoke to Nelson about these issues, along with his plans for this week’s 36.e Space Symposium, in an August 19 interview several hours before the agency confirmed it would suspend work on the SpaceX HLS contract while the Blue Origin lawsuit is heard by the Federal Claims Court.
Last month, you had hoped that once the GAO protest was over, you would be able to work out your plans for Artemis. Where are things now?
Additional delay. Blue Origin has filed a case with the Federal Claims Court, which is actually like an appeal. It is a court equivalent to a federal district court where the judge could demand, in essence, a very laborious discovery. Much will depend on what the judge decides.
Are you worried the deal will delay work on SpaceX’s HLS price?
Lawyers from the Department of Justice are the ones handling the case. NASA is not dealing with the matter. But what I understand from our lawyers, speaking with the lawyers from the Department of Justice who will present a case, is that they should have an idea of the schedule to come in the next two weeks. So, this is a question that is out of our hands. It’s in the justice system and it’s managed by the Department of Justice.
You have expressed support for adding a second business to the HLS program, but this requires additional funding. What progress do you see in securing this funding from Congress?
There are basically two paths. In the process of the credits, I expect this to go until the end of the year. Remember, this is not just an appropriation bill, but also an extension of the debt ceiling, and it will be political football. I think what will probably happen is that when you get to the new fiscal year there won’t be a deal so they will do an ongoing resolution. What has usually happened in the past is that we would race with Santa Claus to get home, or once we were actually in session on New Years Eve. So the process of appropriation, including raising the debt ceiling, will continue until the end of this year.
Another possibility is that you pass a reconciliation bill. And that’s where I asked for extra money for NASA over the next six years to compete fully for the LETS. [Lunar Exploration Transportation Services] contract, which is the contract for about one lander per year over the next decade. I asked for this money and I also asked for money for infrastructure because we have a lot of infrastructure that needs to be updated. What do you think of a reconciliation bill for which all 50 Democrats must vote in the Senate to pass? Your guess is as good as mine.
In the meantime, that’s why we wanted to do this interim step, what we called Annex N NextSTEP, which is basically a one-year transition – a bridge, if you will – to keep the other proposers alive. . Five of them came and put forward proposals for Annex N. The next step is an evaluation which will be carried out by an evaluation committee.
NASA’s Office of Inspector General released a report earlier this month concluding that the space suits needed for the Artemis 3 lunar landing mission will not be ready until at least April 2025. That means – Is it that a human return to the moon in 2024 is now out of the question?
I can’t answer your question whether or not, because of the delays on the spacesuit or what I just went through on the appropriations and regarding the legal postures. I do not know.
In the short term, Artemis 1, the first mission of the Space Launch System, is approaching. Is this still likely to take place before the end of the year?
If it’s not the end of the year, then January.
What goals do you have for the Space Symposium, including meetings with heads of other space agencies?
First of all, you should know that both [U.S. Space Force] General John Raymond and I have made the decision to significantly reduce, because of this delta variant of COVID. I will be there, but we have decided that we need to shut down the presence of the administrator’s office. So Pam [Melroy, deputy administrator] and Bob [Cabana, associate administrator] will not go away and our overall presence will be significantly reduced.
However, I intend to go there because there are several meetings with our international partners. These will proceed as planned, although international delegations will also be considerably reduced. I have a big type of roundtable with industry, and we’ll limit that to one or two people per company, instead of a group of hundreds of people, in a room that will be dispersed, taking into account COVID. These meetings are very important because it is a forum where they can see me in the flesh and hear my ideas and get them straight from the horse’s mouth, rather than through the rumor mill or just in writing. .
I look forward to all of this. We’re just going to be very sensitive to this raging fire called COVID, but in normal times it’s a good time to squeeze the flesh, to really get to know a lot of players, and to get to know each other. And it’s a shame that we have to reduce, but we have to do what we have to do, given the issue of people’s health.
During these meetings with other space agencies, do you have any specific topics that you would like to discuss, such as Artemis or the extension of the International Space Station to 2030?
All of the above and more.
An agency manager who will not be at the Space Symposium is Dmitry Rogozin, the boss of Roscosmos. Do you still plan to meet him later this year?
I hope so, depending on any limitations imposed by COVID.
Will it be in Russia?
More than likely, yes.
You knew NASA very well before you became a director, but now that you’ve been in the job for three and a half months, did anything surprise you about the agency?
Well, what doesn’t surprise me is the level of skill, energy and initiative that I have always experienced at NASA. And as proof, NASA was voted for the ninth consecutive year the best federal agency in which to work. Likewise, NASA was voted the federal government’s best agency to deal with COVID. So, I’m not surprised because this amazing little agency is doing amazing things with amazingly knowledgeable people.
I wouldn’t call it a surprise, as I’ve known over the years that fundamentally OMB always takes a good look at your budget. It’s up to us to convince them, and then convince Congress, to get the money we need for advanced technology. This allows you to stay on your toes at all times. But that’s what is expected of us and that’s what we do. And I think those are my observations.
My final observation is that I shouldn’t be allowed to have as much fun as I am.
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