Artemis: SLS rocket to the moon with budget problems

A new audit NASA Rocket says development is likely to have ‘additional cost and schedule increases’ SLS.

An audit NASA It turns out that rocket construction SLSDesigned to carry astronauts Luna$6 billion over budget and “behind” its original schedule.

According to the Inspector General NASA“Additional cost and schedule increases” are also expected to affect the entire Artemis mission if not addressed.

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Problems at NASA

He SLS It is the most powerful rocket in the world. NASA till date and launched with the first mission last November Sage, It carried the Orion capsule into lunar orbit without passengers.

It has four RS-25 engines per launch and 16 engines salvaged from space shuttles are kept in reserve.

Subsequently, the NASA Aerojet will switch to Rockettine-developed RS-25E engines, which will be 30% cheaper and 11% more powerful. It also uses solid rocket propellants supplied by Northrop Grumman.

Unfortunately, the old technology that is still being used causes problems.

For example, only 5 out of 16 engine adaptations have been completed, and the range and cost increases also affected the booster contract. The latter is the biggest problem, rising from $2.5 billion to $4.4 billion since the announcement. Sageand pushed the schedule back five years.

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No fixed prices

The inspector general blames the use of “plus cost” contracts, which allow providers to easily raise quotes instead of fixed-price contracts.

The report recommends that future jobs should be moved to a fixed price system and recruitment issues should be addressed. Administration of NASA Accepted all eight recommendations.

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Lunar Mission Project Sage Based on the Constellation project, originally launched in 2005 Luna By 2020. Act of Recognition NASA In 2010, the construction was ordered, which was awarded the same year SLS And had to reuse existing technology, contracts and labor from the original project.

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