then also have the unknown Mars Orbital launch vehicle Lockheed cancelled ESA Russia lander, Lockheed Martin/Northrop helicopter Rover that is supposed to pick up Mars samples and return them to Earth?
AWST Orion Tops GAO Roundup Of NASA’s Biggest Cost Overruns[Irene Klotz, Jul 1, complementary through Jul 10]
Most of NASA’s major programs are on schedule and within 15% of their budgets, but the agency’s flagship initiative to expand human presence into deep space under the Artemis program continues multibillion-dollar cost overruns, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its annual review of key space agency projects.The GAO determined that 14 of 18 NASA projects assessed were within cost and schedule margins during fiscal 2025, but four programs—led by the Orion deep-space crew capsule—are over budget by a total of nearly $500 million. Of that, Orion alone accounted for more than $360 million in cost overruns, the GAO said in a July 1 report.<snip>For its latest report, the GAO reviewed 53 major NASA programs—those with an expected life cycle cost of more than $250 million—dating back to 2009 to assess NASA’s historical performance. Of those, at least 30 were developed at or near their cost estimates, which the GAO determined to be less than 15% over budget. The rest required rescoping, new budget baselines and/or additional money to complete.
Orion’s costs are now 5 percent above the 2021 rebaseline, and 28.5 percent above its original baseline. The 2021 rebaseline included among other things, the addition of the RPOD capability.
