Safety panel warns of delays in NASA building new spaceships
![WESH logo]()
Updated: 6:48 PM EST Jan 12, 2018
WEBVTT >> 3, 2, ONE, LAUNCH.DAN: WHILE TWO PROFIT-MAKINGCOMPANIES CONTINUE BUILDING ANDTESTING THE SPACE SHIPS THAT'LLEVENTUALLY LAUNCH ASTRONAUTSFROM U.S. SOIL, AN INDEPENDENTWATCHDOG PANEL INDICATES IT'STAKING TOO LONG.SPACEX'S DRAGON CAPSULE ANDBOEING'S STARLINER WEREORIGINALLY ENVISIONED TO LAUNCHASTRONAUTS TO THE SPACE STATIONIN 2015.THE COMPANIES ARE SAYING NOWTHEY'LL LAUNCH THIS YEAR THREEYEARS LATE.CHRIS: I'M VERY OPTIMISTIC THATYOU'RE GONNA SEE HUMANS LEAVINGFROM THE SPACE COAST HERE INLATE 2018.DAN: A NEW REPORT FROM THEAEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORYCOUNCIL SAYS THE CURRENT PLANNING DATES WOULDALLOW NASA TO MAINTAINUNINTERRUPTED ACCESS TO THE ISS.HOWEVER, FUTURE SCHEDULE SLIPSCOULD EASILY CONSUME ALLREMAINING MARGIN.THAT MEANS FURTHER DELAYS WOULDGIVE NASA TWO CHOICES, ONE,PURCHASE MORE RUSSIAN LAUNCHESAT MORE THAN $75 MILLION A SEAT,OR TWO, FAIL TO KEEP THE SPACESTATION STAFFED AS PLANNED WITHAMERICAN ASTRONAUTS.SURE ENOUGH, JUST AS THE REPORTCOMES OUT, THERE IS A NEW DELAY,THIS AFFECTING SPACEX.ONE THE COMPANY NOW SAYS ITSDRAGON CAPSULE WILL BE DELAYEDANOTHER FOUR MONTHS, UNTILDECEMBER 2018.BUT THE SAFETY PANEL POINTS OUTSPACEX HAS UNRESOLVED SAFETYCONCERNS.A SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET BLEW UPON THE LAUNCH PAD IN 2016, ANDTHE EXPLOSION WAS BLAMED ONFAULTY HELIUM TANKS.THE PANEL SAID THEY STILL NOT
Safety panel warns of delays in NASA building new spaceships
![WESH logo]()
Updated: 6:48 PM EST Jan 12, 2018
A watchdog group is warning that delays in building new spaceships could keep NASA from staffing the space station. Two for-profit companies are building and testing the space ships that’ll eventually launch astronauts from U.S. soil, but the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel indicates it’s taking too long.Boeing’s Starliner capsule and SpaceX’s Dragon capsule both have astronaut launch dates set this year, but that’s already more than three years behind schedule."I’m very optimistic that you’re going to see humans leaving from the Space Coast here in late 2018," Chris Ferguson of Boeing said.The safety panel said further delays in the future could mean NASA will either be unable to staff the space station as planned, or will have to buy more Russian launches at more than $75 million a seat.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A watchdog group is warning that delays in building new spaceships could keep NASA from staffing the space station.
Two for-profit companies are building and testing the space ships that’ll eventually launch astronauts from U.S. soil, but the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel indicates it’s taking too long.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule and SpaceX’s Dragon capsule both have astronaut launch dates set this year, but that’s already more than three years behind schedule.
"I’m very optimistic that you’re going to see humans leaving from the Space Coast here in late 2018," Chris Ferguson of Boeing said.
The safety panel said further delays in the future could mean NASA will either be unable to staff the space station as planned, or will have to buy more Russian launches at more than $75 million a seat.
