
Originariamente Scritto da
HiroTome
Si accontentano di farli che funzionino:
SpaceX and Boeing delays could mean more money for Russia.
A recent report by NASA's chief watchdog raised new doubts about the readiness of contractors to deliver astronauts to space, even
before Thursday's explosion of a SpaceX rocket.
Any further delay, NASA's Inspector General found, could mean a continued reliance on Russia to deliver American astronauts to space
Since the last shuttle mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in 2011, NASA’s astronauts have had to hitch rides to the International Space Station with Russia
That has come with a pricetag that grew precipitously after the shuttle was retired in 2011. A report issued this week by NASA’s Inspector General found the cost Russia charged to ferry U.S. astronauts jumped 384 percent over the last decade, growing from $21.3 million in 2006 to $81.9 million last year.
NASA awarded contract to Boeing and SpaceX to fly its astronauts to the station. But the so-called “commercial crew” program is facing
delays, the IG found, so that
“NASA may need to buy additional seats from Russia to ensure a continued U.S. presence" on the space station.
The report was written
before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blew up as it sat on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday. It’s unclear whether that failure will contribute to any delays in the commercial crew program.
But it was the second time one of SpaceX’s rockets has blown up in the last 15 months, raising concerns about its ability to fly people safely and whether it will be able to meet its timeline.
NASA has stood by SpaceX through both failures, saying it recovered quickly after the first.
But it also said SpaceX
“noted the lack of margin remaining to accommodate any additional unexpected issues that may arise.” The report was released on the same day SpaceX’s rocket exploded.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...nl_tech&wpmm=1