NASA's plans to turn over its flagship rocket to contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman to find more buyers and bring down costs faces steep hurdles thanks to meager demand even from the Pentagon and a sprawling supplier network.
to find more buyers and bring down costs faces steep hurdles thanks to meager demand even from the Pentagon and a sprawling supplier network.
As a commercial venture, the SLS could face other challenges including competition from cheaper and reusable rockets such as Starship from Elon Musk's SpaceX and New Glenn from fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. The SLS is not reusable. "Even when they stabilize production, I don't see them having quite the factory line that you need to get for that kind of thing," added Chaplain, who led GAO audits of SLS.
"If they can sell it, they get more flow through the factory, that drives down our recurring engineering cost," Jim Free, head of NASA's space exploration wing overseeing the Artemis program, said in an interview. "We've thought of a map to get there, we need them to engage, to agree with that map."
NASA officials have acknowledged that squeezing the roughly $23 billion SLS program, its vast supplier network and a workforce of thousands of agency and contractor employees into a cheaper and privately managed contract will not be easy. Boeing has said the SLS program has created 28,000 jobs.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
SLS Could Launch a Sample Return Mission to Phobos and DeimosNASA’s next colossal rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), recently had its first successful flight back in November after years of development. Much of that development was done by aerospace contractors like Northrop Grumman and Boeing, so it is a good bet that engineers at those companies want the SLS to be seen as a … Continue reading 'SLS Could Launch a Sample Return Mission to Phobos and Deimos'
Leer más »
Commissioners expected to OK plan to address St. Johns County’s affordable housing crisisSome of the biggest employers in St. Johns County, like Northrop Grumman and Flagler Health, say they are struggling to find workers because of the lack of affordable housing.
Leer más »
ANA CEO looks to boost fleet with Boeing 787, launch low-cost airlineJapan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) wants to grow its short and medium-haul fleet by 2030, especially expanding the Boeing 787 planes it has on order, CEO Shinichi Inoue said on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Istanbul on Monday.
Leer más »
Boeing bolsters presence at Port San Antonio with B-52 radar modernization contractTwo B-52 aircraft are set to undergo an update to existing radar technology at Port San Antonio as part of a $376 million contract.
Leer más »
This startup is zapping seawater to tackle climate changeBoeing is one of its first customers.
Leer más »
Boeing stock drops 2% after news of new Dreamliner defect, jets' delivery delaysBoeing stock falls on news of 787 Dreamliner defect, delivery delays
Leer más »