GAO: NASA Too Low On Funds To Meet New Rocket Deadline
Thursday, July 24, 2014
By: Nicole Creston

July 24, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - Federal auditors say NASA doesn't have enough money to start launching its new $12 billion rocket program by the end of 2017 as planned. But it's not because the space agency broke the bank with overspending, according to a new report.

The congressional Government Accountability Office issued a report Wednesday saying NASA's new Space Launch System is at high risk of missing its planned December 2017 initial test flight.

The post-space shuttle program would build the biggest rockets ever, tasked with sending astronauts to explore asteroids and eventually Mars.

The report says NASA's own officials told the GAO there is a 90 percent chance they can't meet the launch date with current funding.

That’s not a result of any NASA mishap with program budgeting such as technical problems or overspending, according to the report. Rather, the GAO says NASA simply did not receive enough money to carry out the massive undertaking.