Unexpected cost increases for NASA's James Webb telescope could lead to cuts in other programs



[ad_1]

NASA's latest James Webb Space Telescope could cost nearly $ 9 billion in costs. other programs. Paul Hertz, director of astrophysics division of NASA, said Monday during a presentation to the astrophysics advisory committee of the space agency in Washington that these cuts would likely occur during the exercises. 2020 and 2021, according to Space News In June, the agency announced that human error and other technical problems have pushed up the costs of developing James Webb – who is already 13 years behind on the budget and billions of dollars – at nearly $ 9 billion. delay of its launch to March 2021.

Screw missing: the human error delays the launching of the telescope James Webb of NASA and increases the cost of about 1 billion dollars

The cement followed a review of the project by a 10-member independent review panel, which made 32 separate recommendations to keep the telescope on track. These include: good employee training, better risk assessment and the creation of a management position to oversee the deployments in the space.

Hertz said the latest delay has pushed up costs by a billion dollars. covered by existing reserves, reported Space News. The space agency will have to provide an additional 800 million dollars.

Agency officials stated that this new increase would have no impact on projects during the upcoming fiscal year. But on Monday, Hertz told the committee that he would do it in 2020 and 2021.

During these years, NASA was waiting for the telescope to be in operation, not in development, so they have allocated $ 310 million for operations. This means that they "will need $ 490 million more for Webb during fiscal year 2020 and" 21 more than what had been previously budgeted, "said Hertz in Space News [19659023] ". James Webb, the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, aims to revolutionize the understanding of the world of the planet and the star. training. Originally scheduled for launch in 2007, it has had to deal with repeated delays and rising costs. The delay announced Wednesday pushes development costs beyond the $ 8 billion ceiling set by Congress in 2011, which means congressional leaders must reauthorize the project in the 2019 budget.

Smith, R-San Antonio , holds meetings on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss this new authorization. NASA's director, Jim Bridenstine, and the managers of Northrop Grumman, the project's lead contractor, are expected to testify. James Webb is one of three major space projects currently pending due to delays or cancellations, including the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), which has faced cost and similar schedules.

These telescope-related problems were so significant that NASA announced in June that the proposed projects in the next 10-year astrophysical survey of 2020 should be capped at $ 5 billion each. Webb and WFIRST have been suggested in previous surveys, which are a list of suggested missions compiled every 10 years by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences

Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the United States. environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at [email protected] or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.


[ad_2]
Source link