/sci/ - Science & Math

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GAO report warns Artemis 3 landing may be delayed to 2027
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https://spacenews.com/gao-report-warns-artemis-3-landing-may-be-delayed-to-2027/
> WASHINGTON — The first crewed landing of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort is unlikely to happen before 2027, a report by the Government Accountability Office concluded.
> The GAO report, released Nov. 30, found that slow progress on both the Human Landing System (HLS) lunar lander being developed by SpaceX and new lunar spacesuits from Axiom Space would prevent NASA from achieving its currently goal of a late 2025 landing on the Artemis 3 mission.
> Much of the report’s emphasis was on HLS development. SpaceX, the GAO concluded, “is facing multiple issues that limit this progress and jeopardize its ability to support an Artemis III mission in 2025.” Those issues include an “ambitious” schedule, delayed progress on its development to date, and significant technical work.
> The GAO effectively argued that it was unlikely from the beginning of the HLS program that a Starship lunar lander would be ready by late 2025 given the time typically needed to complete any major project at NASA.
> The GAO report also flagged the “incomplete” first integrated test flight of Starship/Super Heavy in April. (The report noted, but did not assess, the second launch on Nov. 18, which fell outside the scope of the study.)
> NASA officials said in August that they received an updated schedule for Starship HLS development from SpaceX but the agency has not disclosed details about that schedule.