A US government watchdog on Monday said NASA failed to accurately estimate the cost of returning astronauts to the moon and forecast the space agency would not likely complete the mission until “2026 at the earliest.”
Last week NASA extended its target date to 2025 at the earliest in its Artemis program, an initiative launched by former President Donald Trump’s administration with an initial goal of returning humans to the lunar surface by 2024.
NASA’s inspector general said it found NASA “lacks a comprehensive and accurate cost estimate that accounts for all Artemis program costs.” Artemis is meant as a stepping stone toward a greater objective of sending astronauts to Mars.
The report found NASA uses a rough estimate for the first three missions “that excludes $25 billion for key activities related to planned missions beyond Artemis III.”
NASA’s inspector general said it found NASA’s “lacks a comprehensive and accurate cost estimate that accounts for all Artemis program costs.” Artemis is meant as a stepping stone toward a greater objective of sending astronauts to Mars.
The report found NASA’s uses a rough estimate for the first three missions “that excludes $25 billion for key activities related to planned missions beyond Artemis III.”
