NASA is likely to delay its ambitious plans to reach the moon, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The report states that the delay is due to the agency’s “inadequate planning, execution, and management of its lunar exploration projects.” Additionally, the report states that Congress has “not adequately overseen” NASA’s efforts, and that “the agency lacks a comprehensive lunar exploration strategy, which will be necessary in order to identify and prioritize the resources needed to achieve its lunar goals.”
The report notes that NASA has funded only “five of the 54 human-rated spacecraft it plans to launch to the moon by 2024.” Furthermore, the GAO found that the agency “has not developed a risk management plan to address the unique challenges of the lunar environment.”
NASA has been active on the moon for some time, with the objective of establishing a long-term presence on the lunar surface. At the beginning of 2019, the agency announced plans to land “the first woman and the next man” on the moon by 2024, an ambitious goal given the timeframe and technical challenges of human spaceflight.
The GAO report suggests that NASA’s plans may be overly ambitious. It states that the traditional space exploration approach of “crawl, walk, and run” may be necessary for this mission, as it may take longer than expected to develop the technology required for long-term human presence on the moon.
The report also warns of the potential implications of the possible delay, noting that “a misstep in any aspect of the mission or in the execution of the strategy to get there could be catastrophic for the mission and tarnish the image of NASA.”
At this point, it’s unclear how much the possible delay would impact the timeline for NASA’s lunar exploration efforts, but it’s clear that there are significant challenges ahead for the agency. If it’s to succeed in its ambitious goals, it will need to heed the GAO’s warnings and develop a comprehensive strategy for ensuring mission success.