Disaster! NASA SLS Is In BIG BIG TROUBLE while Starship...

is it time to Bid Farewell to NASA's space launch system NASA's Mighty SLS once hailed as America's ticket back to the moon now stands at a Crossroads with billions spent schedules repeatedly delayed the space agency faces an unthinkable Choice abandon its most ambitious rocket program as China space advancements close in so is this NASA's final decision with spacex's Starship advancing rapidly could it soon become the first choice to replace NASA's SLS let's find out on today's episode of alphatech according to senior space reporter Eric burger and his Insider sources there's at least a 50-50 chance that the entire rocket program gets cancelled this includes not just the block 1B variant which was used in NASA's uncr emus one test flight in 2022 and the more powerful block 2 design intended to provide significantly higher trans lunar injection payload capability but all SLS designs could potentially face cutbacks Burger emphasizes that no decisions have been finalized noting that we are still far from anything being settled however his sources known for their reliability suggests NASA may be reconsidering whether it's worth continuing to invest billions into a non-reusable rocket system this potential shift indicates that the agency could be getting cold feet about the program's long-term feasibility indeed making such assumptions is quite natural as not only do space enthusiasts like us like to criticize the SLS but many higher Upson other organizations share similar views recently Colonel Douglas Pentecost of the US space Poli Force expressed doubts about the sls's relevance for defense or commercial purposes noting it's a capability right now that we the dod don't need his remarks suggest that within the dod there's little interest in leveraging the SLS for Missions due to the availability for more cost-effective Alternatives this sentiment is echoed by media Mogul Michael Bloomberg who recently criticized the financial approach of Artemis program Bloomberg argued that the SLS represents a colossal waste of taxpayer money one of Bloomberg's criticisms is that even when the SLS becomes operational it lacks the capability to independently transport humans to the Moon in his words it isn't even powerful enough to actually get anyone to the moon at least not in its current configuration of course this pales in comparison to Starship which can independently reach the moon and is what SpaceX hopes to deploy for Artemis 3 the first crude Mission To The Moon moreover Starship is designed to be fully reusable to reiterate SLS is a non-reusable rock which means NASA will have to build entirely new rocket stages for each upcoming Artemis Mission if NASA does indeed give up on SLS berer suggests that the agency may have to get creative by launching a Ryan on one rocket like spacex's Falcon heavy then docking with a separately launched Ula Centaur 5 and boosting it to the moon whether such a plan B is even on the table though is unclear at best honestly the people who will ultimately make this decision aren't even in place yet Berger wrote in a follow-up tweet likely referring to the incoming Trump Administration but there's a big desire for big changes this major shift could also hinge on the success of Starship as it is truly crucial for NASA well that's because the Artemis 3 mission is only under two years away meanwhile SpaceX still has many steps to take like building and testing the Starship hls or developing a refueling system to achieve those goals they need to launch a lot of Starships to ensure reliability Starship tankers also need to be developed to serve the refueling effort besides launching Landing a lot also needs to be focused on it will increase the reliability of the effort to safely land on the moon and only when it's truly fully reusable meaning successfully Landing both super heavy and the ship can all these requirements get implemented catching super heavy is the first step in that preparation based on recent success Elon and SpaceX also plan to catch ship early next year in addition to achieving full reusability this will be the next step in emis preparations is the ship will have a more direct impact on the mission than super heavy after the Moon we naturally turn our gaze towards Mars Starship was created to colonize Mars and SpaceX more than any other organization is showing the greatest hope of getting us there but getting to Mars involves more than just building a spacecraft it requires Innovations and long duration life support systems in orbit refueling capabilities and safe habitats for astronauts to live and work on the red planet spacex's ambitious plans could pave the way for a permanent human presence on Mars with Starship as the central vehicle for these missions while now NASA has its own plans for Mars by 2035 spacex's vision is more immediate presenting the possibility of a collabo between two entities to achieve this Monumental goal starship's role becomes even more important as NASA faces many aggressive competitors while their own systems are showing numerous problems the SLS has already seen its fair share of budget overruns and many years of delays in a 2022 interview former NASA Deputy admin Lori Garver said that the project is simply not sustainable the rocket platform has become a political football going well past $6 billion over budget an over half a decade behind schedule I will be direct former NASA administrator Michael Griffin told the house space and Aeronautics subcommittee during a January hearing on the Space agency's aremis Program in my judgment the Artemis program is excessively complex unrealistically priced compromises crew safety poses very high mission risk of completion and is highly unlikely to be completed in a timely manner even if successful Christina chaplain former assistant at the government accountability office has voiced similar concerns highlighting sls's production inefficiencies stating I don't see the cost going down at this point to be competitive chaplain pointed out that the SLS lacks the streamlined Factory style production of private sector Rockets resulting in cost overruns with little chance of economic Improvement without the manufacturing efficiency seen in companies like SpaceX sls's Financial sustainability remains dubious to date this rocket has only been launched once as part of NASA's first emis mission in 2022 NASA's already spent over 11 billion on this rocket and now they may need to spend an equivalent or even greater amount to prepare for next year's Mission Additionally the damage sustained by the agency's Orion spacecraft has raised doubts among officials about its ability to safely get astronauts to the moon in the future according to an August report by NASA's oig even just the price of the tower designed to launch rockets starting with Artemis 4 which is 10 scheduled for 2028 has ballooned to a whopping $1.8 billion plagued Aerospace giant Boeing has also encountered plenty of headwind with its contributions to the launch platform in a separate September report by the office of Inspector General the sls's block 1B configuration which is being built by oing was found to be woefully behind and way over budget we found an array of issues that could hinder SLS block 1 B's Readiness for emis 4 including Boeing's inadequate quality management system escalating costs and schedules in inadequate visibility into block 1 B's projected cost the report reads meanwhile the sls's compion Orion is also showing many problems after the Artemis 1 Mission the Orion heat shield was severely damaged in more than 100 spots after re-entry this puts NASA in a difficult situation change the heat shield design that could delay the schedule or keep the schedule but accept the risk from the current heat shield we're less than a year away from September 2025 and NASA's not yet made a final call on that besides the hardware the mobile launcher which is part of the exploration ground system also shows problems in the GAO report the agency pointed out in our April 2023 high-risk report we found that NASA continues to face challenges with limiting cost growth and schedule delays for its most complex and expensive projects including those for human space flights such as EGS after Artemis one the mobile launcher system also suffered damage taking a long time to fix and raising doubts about its long-term usability the report also emphasized in the section on emis 2 given the lack of margin its further issues arise during testing or integration there will likely be delays to the September 2025 emis 2 launch date alongside the SLS another NASA project the axium space suit is also facing challenges despite recently getting unveiled NASA's contractor axium space is dealing with a crisis in uncertain future in producing lunar space suits for NASA any disruption in this could lead to further delays additionally NASA is planning another complex and costly project the lunar Gateway that may conflict with starship's human Landing system all this points to a rather challenging road ahead for NASA surprisingly NASA is even planning to use SLS and Orion to send humans to Mars by 2035 yes that's NASA's current strategy to tackle external challenges particularly from China NASA now faces significant competition from International Rivals especially China over the last decade China's rap of the expanded Space Program with Milestones like Landing probes on the moon successfully getting to The Far Side of the Moon and launching a Mars Rover their long-term plans include building a permanent base on the moon which could directly compete with NASA the race to the moon and Beyond is no longer NASA's sole Endeavor it now competes against China's accelerating advancements in a space exploration underscoring the critical importance of NASA's collaboration with SpaceX ensuring that the US remains ahead in this new space race clearly with the rapid progress of Starship the future of human lunar exploration remains secure SpaceX just needs a couple years perhaps less than half of NASA timeline to transform the barren lands of Bach chica into the most advanced rocket production and launch facility on the planet in that time they progress from Hop test to successfully catching Rockets with mechazilla the potential of Starship is immense as it can launch land on the moon and then come back even if SpaceX successfully land Starship they could also think about bringing the crew back without needing SLS and Orion spacex's contributions to NASA extend beyond Starship over the years Vehicles like dragon and Falcon 9 have become NASA's workhorses the reusability of Falcon 9 has saved NASA billions in launch costs making it the most reliable and cost-effective option for regular missions its ability to land and be reused multiple times has revolutionized space travel drastically reducing the exorbitant cost traditionally associated with rocket launches meanwhile f Falcon heavy the most powerful operational rocket in the world has enabled NASA to undertake high-risk missions like launching heavy payloads for deep space exploration these vehicles are crucial to NASA's ongoing operations from deploying weather satellites to lunar missions the collaboration between NASA's Decades of mission planning expertise and spacex's technological innovations creates a powerful Synergy missions like crew dragons regular trips to the ISS and Falcon Heavy's role in launching high priority deep space payloads illustrates just how the two organizations complement each other this partnership ensures that the US remains at the Forefront of space exploration while minimizing costs and accelerating timelines looking ahead NASA's support for SpaceX will be critical in achieving both lunar and Martian Ambitions and that's it for today's episode thanks for checking it out and see you next time