Is NASA’s Moon Rocket Getting Canceled?

By | November 16, 2024

“NASA has squandered $27 billion on the SLS moon rocket — $6 billion over budget and 5 years late,” writes longtime Slashdot reader schwit1. “The SLS isn’t reusable so even if they finished it — it is already obsolete. It is clear to everyone that the boondoggle has failed but the newest plan is to find a way to blame Trump. There is a big desire for big changes.” Futurism reports: According to Ars Technica senior space reporter Eric Berger’s insider sources, there’s an “at least 50-50” chance that the rocket “will be canceled.” “Not Block 1B. Not Block 2,” he added, referring to the variant that was used during NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022 and a more powerful design with a much higher translunar injection payload capacity, respectively. “All of it.” To be clear, as Berger himself points out, we’re still far “from anything being settled.” Nonetheless, the reporter’s sources have historically been highly reliable, suggesting the space agency may indeed be getting cold feet about continuing to pour billions of dollars into the non-reusable rocket. […] “Honestly the people who will ultimately make this decision aren’t even in place yet,” Berger wrote in a followup tweet, likely referring to the incoming Trump administration. “But there is a big desire for big changes.”

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