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NASA's huge Space Launch System (SLS) is going to rocket off the ground, and it's going to be back in the air again. of Inspector General (OIG) finds.
NASA is counting on the two-stage SLS to launch astronauts at deep-space destinations such as the moon and Mars. The giant rocket will also help planetary exploration, helping robotic spacecraft reach remote targets in much less time than has hitherto been possible, agency officials have said.
Aerospace Titan Boeing is responsible for the SLS 'first, or core, internship. In 2012, NASA contracted with Boeing to build two first stage SLS, plus an Upper Stage Exploration (EUS), an advanced second stage that will boost the rocket's payload-lofting capability. [Photos: NASA’s Space Launch System for Deep Space Flights]
The space agency originally intended to launch the first SLS flight – an uncrewed test called Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), which will send NASA's also-in-development Orion capsule crew around the moon – in December 2017. The first crewed SLS- Orion flight, EM-2, was targeted for mid-2021.
These schedules have slipped, however: NASA now aims to launch EM-1 in mid-2020 and EM-2 in the middle of 2022. And there will be cost overruns as well. The "Boeing Stages" contract runs through 2021, but NASA forecasts that the company will spend all of the money in the early years, with the final delivery of a core course or the EUS.
Which brings you to the new OIG report, which was released today (Oct. It crystallizes the findings of a four-month-long audit (from April through August 2018) of Boeing's Performance under the Contract Stages, as well as NASA's "Compliance with Acquisition Regulations, Policies, and Procedures Supporting the SLS Program."
Those findings suggest that there will be additional bumps in the road for SLS development.
$ 8.9 trillion through 2021 – double the amount originally planned – while delivery of the first Core Stage has been slipped 2.5 years from June 2017 to December 2019 and may slip further, "the OIG report states.
As a result of such issues, NASA will not be able to launch EM-1 in the current target window, which runs from December 2019 through June 2020, the report's authors predict.
These can be traced largely to management, technical and infrastructure issues driven by Boeing's poor performance, "the OIG report adds. "For example, Boeing officials have consistently underestimated the scope of the work done and thus the size and skills of the workforce required."
In addition, the hardware and software is required for core-stage testing. Equipment-related problems and "an extreme weather event" – presumably 2017's Hurricane Harvey – have contributed to the delays and cost overruns, according to the report.
The OIG report makes seven recommendations to improve the sustainability, accountability, and transparency of core-stage and EUS development. NASA concurs with six of the seven recommendations, the report states; The only exception is Recommendation 6, which involves setting up a system whereby "technical monitors" rate the contractor's performance.
"To its credit, the SLS Program has taken positive steps to address management and procurement issues related to the Boeing Stages contract, including making key leadership changes; OIG report says. "However, the impact of these actions is improving Boeing's future contract performance is uncertain."
In a statement emailed to Space.com, NASA officials said that the SLS is the most complex launching system in the world, and they are committed to the challenges related to its design and manufacture.
But the importance of the importance of the SLS to the agency's human-spaceflight plans. And they added that NASA fully supports Boeing, saying the company has "already overcome many challenges" and continues "to show major improvements in efficiency and management."
"The recent report from NASA's Office of the Inspector General, along with other reviews, helps the agency improve performance," the NASA statement adds. "NASA and Boeing are well underway in the report of recommendations, several of which are already making steady progress and significant improvements. of the SLS core internship at the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans for the first flight. "
You can read the full OIG report here: https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-19-001.pdf
Mike Wall's book on the search for alien life, "Out There"will be published on Nov. 13 by Grand Central Publishing. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us @Spacedotcom gold Facebook. Originally published on Space.com.
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