The Artemis campaign aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. To accomplish this feat, NASA has partnered with commercial vendors to develop landers that will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar surface. Since the inception of the Human Landing System (HLS) Program in 2019, the Agency has obligated nearly $7 billion to lander development and is projected to spend over $18 billion through fiscal year 2030. Today, the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report examining the Program’s progress, oversight, and risks to astronaut safety.
NASA’s firm-fixed-price contract approach relies on selected HLS providers to design, build, and demonstrate their own lander hardware. SpaceX is developing its Starship lander, while Blue Origin is working on its Blue Moon lander. The OIG’s new report determined that this acquisition approach has effectively controlled contract costs: SpaceX and Blue Origin contracts have only increased by 6 percent and less than 1 percent, respectively. However, both providers have faced schedule delays, technical difficulties, and integration challenges that could impact costs and delivery timelines. NASA is currently working with SpaceX and Blue Origin to accelerate lander development to meet a 2028 lunar landing date.
To ensure the landers meet NASA’s needs and objectives, the HLS contracts are structured to allow the Agency various degrees of insight and oversight during system development. The providers are also given access to NASA subject matter experts and on-site resources. Although the OIG determined that this collaborative approach was generally beneficial to HLS development, the Agency must closely monitor the financial costs and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
While the providers must deliver the landers on time and according to requirements, NASA is ultimately responsible for ensuring crew safety. The new report found that the Agency is proactively taking measures to mitigate and prevent hazards, but gaps remain in its testing posture and crew survival analyses. If the landers encounter a catastrophic event, NASA knows it would not have the capability to rescue stranded astronauts from space or the lunar surface.
To address these issues, the OIG made five recommendations to improve management of government funds and enhance crew safety and survival.
