NASA will probably delay the first two missions of its Orion deep-space capsule, being developed to send astronauts beyond earth’s orbit and eventually to Mars, the US space agency said on Friday.
A report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General cited technical as well as budget challenges.
The first launch of the Orion spacecraft atop the planned Space launch System, or SlS — set to become the world’s most powerful rocket when it flies — is currently scheduled for early November 2018 with no crew.
A second mission carrying astronauts is envisioned for August 2021 at the earliest.
However, “NASA’s initial exploration missions on its Journey to Mars — EM-1 and EM-2 — face multiple cost and technical challenges that likely will affect their planned launch dates,” the report said of the conclusions from a nine-month audit.
It cites delays in the development of the Orion service module, provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as technical risks from changes in the design of the capsule’s heat shield.