Tag: GAO
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GAO Puts $9.5B Missile-Warning Satellite Under Scrutiny
Does the GAO’s 2026 Space Force Report Signal a Defense Space Acquisition Crisis? The Government Accountability Office has put a $9.5 billion price tag on the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous constellation — and that number is still growing. The GAO’s annual assessment of major defense acquisition programs, released July 2, reviewed 13 Space…
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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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NASA finally admits what everyone already knows: SLS is unaffordable
In a new report, the federal department charged with analyzing how efficiently US taxpayer dollars are spent, the Government Accountability Office, says NASA lacks transparency on the true costs of its Space Launch System rocket program. Published on Thursday, the new report (see .pdf) examines the billions of dollars spent by NASA on the development…
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GAO denies Blue Origin’s protest of NASA’s lunar lander contract award to SpaceX
An artist’s conception shows the human landing system that was being developed by Blue Origin and its industry partners in the foreground, and a cargo lander in the background. (Blue Origin Illustration) The Government Accountability Office today turned back protests from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Alabama-based Dynetics, ruling that NASA was within…
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NASA freezes SpaceX’s lunar lander cash due to protests from Blue Origin, Dynetics
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s Starship rocket ship on the moon. (SpaceX Illustration) NASA says it’ll hold up on its payments to SpaceX for developing its Starship super-rocket as a lunar lander while the Government Accountability Office sorts out challenges to the $2.9 billion contract award from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture as well…
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GAO sides with Blue Origin in dispute over Air Force’s multibillion-dollar launch contract process
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. (Blue Origin Illustration) The Government Accountability Office is agreeing with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture that the Air Force needs to amend its rules for deciding who’ll get future contracts for national security space launches. Today’s GAO decision comes in response to Blue…
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2020 or bust? GAO watchdogs foresee further delays for orbital spaceships
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s Orion capsule in flight. (NASA Illustration) The Government Accountability Office issued a downbeat report on NASA’s major space projects today, saying that cost and schedule performance has deteriorated over the past year. The full extent of the cost issues is unknown, primarily due to uncertainties surrounding the effort to build…
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GAO reaffirms NASA’s commercial crew decision
Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft (left) and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule (right) will carry U.S. astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station. Credit: Boeing/SpaceX/Spaceflight Now The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest filed by Sierra Nevada Corp. challenging NASA’s selection of competitors Boeing and SpaceX to build commercial human-rated space capsules to fly astronauts…