WASHINGTON – NASA has raised the cost estimates for the Space Launch System and its ground systems to the point where a formal congressional notification is required.
In a August 27 blog post, Kathy Lueders, NASA’s Associate Director for Human Exploration and Operations, said the agency was advancing SLS development with the goal of launching a first heavy lift missile no later than November 2021.
In its statement, Lueders said NASA had increased the cost estimate for the development of the SLS and Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), the ground infrastructure needed to support SLS launches. For SLS, the “development costs” are now $ 9.1 billion, while for EGS that estimate is now $ 2.4 billion.
NASA did not indicate how much the cost of the programs would increase. A report by the U.S. government in April published in the evaluation of NASA’s key programs estimates SLS development costs at $ 8.75 billion and EGS development costs at $ 2.33 billion, both as of January. The new estimates represent increases of 4% for SLS and 3% for EGS over those in the GAO report.
However, both programs have seen their costs rise since NASA estimated baselines in 2014. At that time, NASA estimated an SLS development cost of $ 7.02 billion and EGS development costs of $ 1.84 billion.
The new estimates are both about 30% above the original estimates for baseline costs. That is the threshold for activating a formal congressional notification and resetting the program. “NASA has informed Congress of these new obligations,” Lueders said in its statement.
A March report by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General stated that the SLS program already required the 30% threshold for notification and evaluation. That report claimed that NASA had removed nearly $ 1 billion in costs for the car’s solid rocket boosters and RS-25 engines, but did not adjust the baseline cost estimate.
It is unlikely that Congress will make major changes to the SLS or EGS programs as a result of the notification. A bill for home loans for fiscal year 2021, adopted in late July, provides $ 342.9 million more for SLS and $ 75 million more for EGS than the administration’s request. The Senate has yet to adopt its version of an issuance bill, but Senate Senate Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) Is a powerful advocate for the SLS.
While Lueders reaffirmed a first SLS launch of no later than November 2021, she said a fixed date had not yet been set for the mission. “While it is too early to predict the full impact of COVID-19, we are confident that a date of November 2021 will be reached with the recent pace of progress, and a successful Green Run hot fire test. will enable us to better predict a launch date for the mission, “she wrote. That SLS core stage test is expected to take place in late October, she said this week.
She said that, despite cost increases and significant delays in SLS development, the agency expected production of future cars to be smoother. “We are well into building for future missions, and we are seeing significantly improved construction rates, high quality work, and efficiencies across the board,” she said. “As we move forward, we aim to continue to reduce production costs for the world’s most capable launch system as we take on new challenges from our monthly reconnaissance program.”
