NASA SLS In Big Problem. SpaceX Starship to Save...

spending hundreds of billions of tax dollars to create projects only to cancel them NASA is sinking into a black hole of its own making in this Abyss projects are scrapped as quickly as they are conceived even more embarrassingly initiatives that start with great determination often end due to humiliating reasons most recently cost issues and of all the projects that fit the bill of greatost cost greater loss the SLS a vehicle that has made significant strides recently but faces numerous cost challenges comes to mind in fact one day it might end like so many other cancelled projects so why is NASA in this predicament should they shut down the SLS soon to avoid further wasting time and resources keep in mind those resources derive from American tax dollars let's delve into these questions on today's episode of great SpaceX we're all aware that our 2 is scheduled for launch in September of 2025 and Hardware preparations are ramping up that said recently after a long production period the core stage of this rocket known as Pegasus was transported from the production facility to the Kennedy Space header on July 24th it was unloaded from the barge and moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building or VAB for short this prototype is equipped with all four rs25 engines other components including the solid boosters and second stage are expected to be delivered and assembled soon meanwhile its launch system known as the mobile launcher is being taken to add other systems such as crew access arms engine sound suppression and other support systems serving the rocket launch process with these updates it seems likely that assembly will take place this year with tests on the complete prototype scheduled for next year before the launch however this is NASA and it's hard to predict if they will still stay on schedule with just over a year left until the September 2025 launch Target they must complete the Prototype assembly soon this progress is a rare piece of positive news from NASA lately even when everything appears ready there are still many concerns surrounding the SLS that's because right now we see that Starliner has launched but cannot return due to numerous issues initially planned for about a week on the ISS it's been nearly 2 months and this Mission still hasn't concluded although NASA and Boeing remain confident that everything is on track we all know their current problems are quite complicated so how does Boeing's problem relate to the SLS let's not forget that the SLS core stage we just mentioned is manufactured by Boeing this raises significant doubts about whether in a more complex Mission involving the moon similar risks might arise the Artemis 2 mission will carry astronauts around the Moon with the core stage accompanying the spacecraft for most most of the initial Journey its impact shouldn't be underestimated if problems arise while it's operational the spacecraft deployment could fail this could resemble the astrobotic mission earlier this year where launch issues caused problems with the paragr lunar lander unlike the Starliner situation where astronauts have a place to wait for rescue if something goes wrong a learner mission is far more dangerous finding a safe haven is challenging and no other vehicles can promptly rescue them while I don't believe these risks will necessarily materialize and I hope they don't my current lack of confidence lies with Boeing's capabilities and I find that disturbing but hey that's only part of the problem with the SLS currently the rocket faces another significant risk cancellation due to its enormous costs you might be wondering how such an important project could be cancelled recent issues indicate this is entirely possible as NASA has cancelled many crucial projects for similar reasons most recently the Chandra telescope a symbol of space exploration is dangerously close to its end specifically a NASA committee concluded there is no way to continue operating the Chandra x-ray Observatory at the reduced funding level proposed in NASA's 2025 budget with NASA's budget set to decrease in the coming years and many expensive projects on the horizon cost cutting measures are inevitable currently chandra's operating cost is $ 68.3 million but it will be reduced to$ 41.1 million next year and further slashed in subsequent years by 2029 its operating budget might be reduced to just a mere 5.2 million with such reduced funding continuing Chandra operations will be extremely challenging therefore four options have been proposed with the complete cancellation of the project being considered the most appropriate solution other options involve cutting costs by reducing operating time or eliminating certain Chandra modes and instruments however these are not feasible as NASA would still incur costs without receiving satisfactory results in return previously another significant lunar project was cancelled the Viper lunar rover scheduled to launch on the Griffin Mission later this year by Falcon heavy Viper's costs had already reached $450 million projections indicated this could rise to $9.5 Million by 2025 if not cancelled largely due to delays with $322 million Lander Griffin which likely cannot launch before September of 2025 by canceling the project NASA expects to save $84 million both of these issues stem from NASA's ineffective operations in the case of the Chandra telescope the cost shortfall arises from NASA's stubbornness with other projects such as Hubble despite numerous problems individuals like isaacman supported by SpaceX offered to rescue Hubble at no cost to NASA however NASA declined and chose to continue operating the telescope for about another decade despite its problems inefficiencies and high costs as for Viper after enduring multiple delays over the years and nearing Readiness it was canceled for reasons that seem unjustifiable the main issue was of course Rising costs and future budget overruns Viper was meant to explore the moon's South Pole for water and other resources which are crucial for future lunar missions though it has been officially cancelled there is still hope as NASA plans on repurposing Viper instruments and components for other lunar missions however this reflects NASA's long-standing mistakes in selecting contractors and managing projects both of these projects were highly anticipated and held great promise given that SLS is facing similar challenges one question emerges to the Forefront will it also be cancelled the answer is a resounding yes within NASA's system SL is likely the most expensive project having started developing in the early 2010s the cost of SLS had reached 23.8 billion according to 2022 statistics and it's likely even higher now specifically developing the rocket cost $1.8 billion with each launch potentially exceeding $2 billion and each launch system and mobile launcher costing around a billion in comparison spacex's entire Starship system costs just 5 billion let me say that again $5 billion incredible amazing unbelievable yeah those are just some words to describe spacex's cost reduction strategy in the form of reusability you might recall the GAO report from last year which famously stated that senior NASA officials told GAO that at current cost levels the SLS program is unaffordable compared to the aformentioned projects SLS is probably are even more severe and concerning although it is intended for lunar exploration its inefficiencies cannot be overlooked if these issues persist it seems likely that SLS could face cancellation of course that will depend on NASA's decision but right now I still want to hear your opinion do you think the SLS should be cancelled let me know with a yes or a no in the comment section down below don't forget to leave a like share the video and subscribe to our channel to continue following spacex's development journey in addition to cost issues another factor that could lead to the potential cancellation of the SLS is the availability of alternative Rockets ready to fulfill its role particularly spacex's Starship beyond the cost advantages I mentioned Starship outperforms the SLS in several ways although the official prototype is still in development SpaceX has made significant progress with Starship hls or human Landing system this includes includes testing elevators and building and evaluating simulated airlock systems compared to the SLS Starship holds significantly greater potential while the SLS is primarily designed for lunar missions Starship offers versatility for various applications including earthto Earth transportation and Mars colonization in general starship's development potential far exceeds that of the SLS despite its lower cost if NASA were to reallocate sls's investment to Starship they could velop a more cost-effective and capable vehicle for a wide range of future missions not just lunar exploration in terms of General progress SpaceX has made impressive strides with Starship in just over a year they've successfully conducted four missions including the historic achievement of Landing both stages of the rocket for the first time bear in mind that although the first three integrated flight tests resulted in ruds or rapid unscheduled disassembly it doesn't take away the fact that the data gathered from each sequential Mission were the building blocks to the Starship system's current iteration learning from your mistakes is definitely the fastest way to learn and SpaceX does not shy away from failure given their track record it's highly likely that SpaceX will accomplish even more in the coming years surpassing what NASA could achieve with SLS within the same budget and time frame in short NASA is grappling with significant issues stemming from their own missteps it might be time for them to set back and allow more advanced vehicles and talented innovators like spacex's Starship to take the lead this approach could pave the way for faster cheaper and more efficient space exploration if you agree hit that like button if you haven't already otherwise folks that's about it for today's episode thank you so much for tuning in and as always this has been Kevin from great SpaceX until next time keep looking up