NASA Stuck! Boeing SLS Core Stage NOT Safe for Crew While Starliner...

in the early 2010s following the retirement of the Space Shuttle NASA embarked on the development of a new rocket called the space launch system or SLS for short for this ambitious project NASA selected Boeing a long-standing partner and a well-known company from the earlier era of space exploration to support the construction of the core booster and expor ation upper stage at the time NASA's choice of Boeing was driven by the need for reliability and experience however it seems they may have overlooked the potential drawbacks of relying on a company with older Tech to build a nextg rocket an approach in hindsight appears contradictory after more than a decade the consequences of this decision are becoming increasingly apparent so what are the current issues with the SLS should NASA consider replacing both in its future projects and who might be capable of stepping in to resolve these challenges we'll explore these questions in today's episode of great SpaceX as we know the first SLS rocket launched during the emis 1 mission in 2022 came at a staggering cost of over $23 billion for the entire system with more than 11 billion attributed to the SLS itself despite these costs NASA plans to continue using the system in future feature Artemis missions notably Artemis 4 which is slated for September of 2028 will feature a new version of the rocket the SLS 1B still being constructed by Boeing however recent developments have cast a shadow over this decision on August 8th NASA's office of Inspector General or oig released a report following an assessment of the current project the report delivered a harsh critique of Boeing's work on the SLS 1B at the machine assembly facility in New Orleans focusing on two all too familiar issues quality and cost let's start with the concerns regarding quality the oig report noted that Boeing's work has not met International standards or NASA's stringent requirements one particularly alarming example highlighted in the report involved a liquid oxygen fuel tank Dome a critical component of the SLS core stage three during an April of 2023 visit to Mud inspectors found the Dome segregated and awaiting a decision on whether it could be safely used due to welds that failed to meet NASA specifications according to the report these quality control lapses are largely due to a shortage of trained and experienced Aerospace workers at Boeing the oig criticized Boeing for inadequate training and oversight leading to safety and reliability concerns additionally many experienced workers have left Boeing for newer aerospace companies offering better pay these issues have resulted in numerous corrective action requests or cars issued by the defense contract management agency or the dcma which oversees Boeing's work on the SLS between September of 2021 and of 2023 dcma issued 71 cars 24 of which were rated level two indicating serious issues that involve critical safety hardware and cannot be corrected immediately the dcma even considered drafting a new level three for severe non-conformities despite these warnings Boeing has shown little progress in addressing these issues the report stated according to dcma officials Boeing's process for addressing contractual non-compliance has been ineffective and the company has generally been non-responsive in taking corrective actions when the same quality control issues reoccur moreover Boeing has been using the earned value management system or EVMS software to measure progress however the Department of Defense disapproved of this system back in 2020 citing Boeing's inability to produce a realistic Baseline delivery date for the exploration upper stage due to ongoing deficiencies in its EVMS not only are there quality concerns but Boeing's work is also driving up the cost of the new SLS version the report estimates the cost at $5.7 billion which is $700 million higher than NASA's 20123 agency Baseline commitment the E alone is expected to cost 2.8 billion over three times the initial estimate of $962,000 in 2017 these are staggering numbers to put it into perspective the cost of the E alone is nearly half of the 11 billion spent on the entire first SLS prototype used in Artemis 1 so why does a rocket with such questionable quality come with such a high price tag it seems the answer lies in outdated and inefficient technology because the technology is not up to Modern standards numerous fixes are required leading to delays and soaring costs the report indicates that the delivery of the EU from Boeing has been delayed from the original estimate of February of 2021 set back in October of 2016 to April of 2027 as of October of last year and given the current issues it's uncertain whether Boeing can meet this deadline with the required quality the final cost remains unknown and it's unclear whether it will surpass the cost of the Artemis 1 prototype the oig report made four recommendations to NASA including developing a quality management system for Boeing applying penalties for quality standard violations analyzing cost overruns and coordinating with dcma to bring EVMS into compliance NASA has accepted three of these recommendations but has rejected the one related to penalties in conclusion the report States given Boeing's quality management and its related Workforce challenges we are concerned these factors could potentially impact the safety of the SLS and Orion spacecraft including its crew and cargo more than ever it seems that both Bo should be removed from this program immediately the SLS itself may need to be reconsidered it is too expensive carries potential risks and lacks the longevity needed Beyond lunar missions if you agree respond with kick it in the comment section don't forget to like share the video and subscribe to our channel to stay updated on spacex's development Journey NASA's challenges with Boeing extend beyond the SLS they are also grappling with significant issues related to Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on the International Space Station when NASA launched the commercial crew program back in 2014 they selected both SpaceX and Boeing to build crew spacecraft notably Boeing was awarded 45 billion US dollar significantly more than the 2.6 billion given to SpaceX reflecting NASA's confidence in Boeing's capabilities however the Starliner spacecraft has encountered numerous issues during testing leading to repeated delays in the crude test flight even before its scheduled launch Starliner faced persistent problems including fuel leaks despite these setbacks the spacecraft was sent to the ISS and now Boeing is struggling with its return currently Starliner is plagued by issues with helium leaks reaction control system thrusters and undocking software these problems have forced NASA to consider sending spacex's Dragon to rescue the starlander astronauts with a final decision expected soon it's clear that Boeing's performance with Starliner does not justify the substantial funding they received it's important to remember that star laner has yet to complete any missions under its commercial crew program contract meanwhile the clock is ticking with only 6 years remaining until the planned retirement of the ISS in 2030 can Starliner meet NASA's requirements within this time frame much like the SLS Starline reflects Boeing's slow and outdated technology ology if NASA were to conduct an assessment of Starliner similar to the oig's review of the SLS it's likely that many more issues would come to light given these ongoing problems it may be time to reconsider Starliner role and explore more efficient Alternatives if you agree please reply with drop it in the comment section down below NASA has been fortunate to have the support of SpaceX during some of its most challenging times and if they decide to part waves with Boeing SpaceX is poised to continue continue as NASA's most reliable partner or perhaps its only partner when it comes to the ISS it's clear that spacex's dragon is more than capable of taking over the tasks initially assigned to Boeing's Starliner the superior performance of dragon underscores the Stark differences between Boeing and SpaceX as for NASA's lunar Ambitions I believe that even if NASA were to cancel the SLS program spacex's Starship would be more than capable of completing the remaining objectives remaining obje Ives in fact eliminating the SLS could simplify NASA's plans considerably allowing them to cut other costly and high-risk projects such as the mobile launcher Orion spacecraft and lunar Gateway some might argue that spacex's Starship hasn't yet proven its ability to replace SLS in the Artemis program but let's take a closer look in just over a year Starship has completed four integrated test flights something that the SLS has yet to achieve moreover these flights have demonstrated Milestones no other program has reached including the landing of both rocket stages which is the first step towards a fully reusable rocket reusability is a key advantage that makes Starship superior to the SLS building on this Foundation SpaceX is pushing forward in all aspects to meet the Artemis schedule looking at the broader road map SpaceX has ambitious plans for thousands of Starship launches per year in contrast we've never seen similar projects for the SLS which is primarily Limited to Moon missions this limitation further reinforces the argument for cancelling the SLS program now is the time for NASA to enact a comprehensive change slow and inefficient Boeing's approach no longer aligns with the current direction of space exploration to maintain its leadership in the Space Race the US should focus on removing barriers and investing in modern fast and efficient companies like SpaceX well 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