spacetoday.net: GAO report warns of continued cost growth in NASA exploration programs

GAO report warns of continued cost growth in NASA exploration programs

Posted: Sun, May 3, 2020, 2:05 PM ET (1805 GMT)
Space Launch System (SLS) illustration, Oct 2015 (NASA)

A report Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned of additional cost growth for NASA's exploration programs. The report said that costs for those programs, notably the Space Launch System, would likely grow once a new launch date is set for the Artemis 1 mission. NASA's cost baselines are based on a March 2021 launch readiness date the mission that now appears unlikely. Across all of NASA's programs, the average cost increase grew for the third straight year, to 30.9%, although the increase in the last year was due almost entirely to NASA exploration programs and the Mars 2020 rover mission.