Aerospace Corporation Estimates Potential Four Year Slip to Constellation IOC

The Aerospace Corporation told the Augustine panel that the initial operational capability (IOC) for the Constellation program could slip by as many as 4 years and that “Aerospace believes that NASA is not properly funded to accomplish its current program of record [the Constellation program].” The Augustine panel is holding a public meeting in Huntsville, AL today (view the video on the media channel at the NASA TV website) as it continues its deliberations over options for the human space flight program. The panel asked the Aerospace Corporation to perform a number of studies, including an independent assessment of the Constellation program.

Gary Pulliam of the Aerospace Corporation briefed the panel on its findings to date, stressing that they had only three weeks to perform the work. As part of its assessment of Constellation, Aerospace concluded that funding cuts in FY2009 and in the FY2010 budget request may cause a slip of 1 _ years. It believes technical challenges may result in another 2 years of slippage, and funding cuts that might occur if a decision is made to continue the International Space Station beyond 2016 could cause another half-year slip. Cumulatively that adds up to 3 _-4 years, he said, adding that “not all these things have to happen” because there are mitigation strategies, but that is Aerospace’s conclusion to date.

He added that it is Aerospace’s analysis that the current funding projected for the Constellation program is insufficient to achieve the program’s goal of returning astronauts to the Moon by 2020. He also warned about assuming that any of the alternative architectures would be better: “We don’t want to trade one insufficiently funded program for another.”