Tag: Government Accountability Office
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NASA Advisory Panel Warns ISS Safety Margins Are Reaching ‘Alarming’ Levels
The safety margin for operating the International Space Station (ISS) is shrinking to an “alarming” level as aging hardware and limited replacement options continue to challenge long-term operations, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has warned. Astronomy Speaking during a panel meeting, chair Susan Helms said it is becoming increasingly difficult for NASA to maintain sufficient…
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GAO Warns SDA Missile-Tracking Satellite Program Faces Capability and Cost Risks
The Space Development Agency’s effort to deploy a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites for missile warning and tracking is at risk of falling short of its goals and operational requirements, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office released on Thursday. The report, covering the period from October 2023 to January 2026,…
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Hopeful for launch next year, NASA aims to resume SLS operations within weeks
A crane hoisted the Space Launch System core stage into the B-2 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in January. Credit: NASA/SSC With the Space Launch System’s inaugural test flight now officially delayed to November 2021, NASA says work halted by the coronavirus pandemic will resume within weeks to prepare for the first test-firing…
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Government watchdog warns of another JWST launch delay
The James Webb Space Telescope is pictured during a sunshield deployment test in October 2019 at a Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, California. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn The James Webb Space Telescope is at risk of another launch delay beyond the mission’s current target launch date in March 2021, the Government Accountability Office said this…
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Lawmakers question safety, schedule for Boeing/SpaceX commercial crew ships
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Astronaut Eric Boe examines hardware during a tour of the SpaceX’s headquarters facility in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX Boeing and SpaceX hope to launch commercial crew ferry ships on long-awaited test flights later this year, but both companies face major challenges getting the spacecraft certified before late 2019…
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NASA confirms first flight of Space Launch System will slip to 2019
Artist’s concept of the Space Launch System lifting off from launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/MSFC NASA’s top human spaceflight official says the maiden flight of the Space Launch System, a behemoth booster designed to loft astronauts on expeditions into deep space, will be delayed from November 2018 until…