NASA Needs $460 Million to Start New Rocket System by 2017

Jul 25, 2014 11:31 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

There is a good chance that NASA's Space Launch System will miss its planned December test flight, according to a report announced by the Government Accountability Office.

Federal auditors have said that NASA does not have enough money to start its new rocket system of $13 billion by the end of 2017, as previously planned.

The rocket, which will be bigger than the Saturn V rockets, was scheduled to be manufactured by the post-space shuttle program.

Originally it was believed that the system wouldn't launch in time because of a technical issues, but as report author Cristina Chaplain pointed out, NASA was not able to acquire enough funds needed to complete the project.

Currently, the space agency is $460 million short, buy NASA is planning on making improvements to the rocket design, according to the report.

NASA will likely have to postpone its date of the test launch and will continue to look for more cash, according to a statement made by former NASA associate administrator Scott Pace, space policy director at George Washington University.

NASA Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier wrote in the agency's response that NASA is working on the problems.

Taxpayers can suffer if the launch is delayed.

Currently, working with Russia is the only way to get astronauts to the International Space Station.

Since NASA shut down its space shuttle program in 2011, the Russian space program is the only in the world capable of manned spaceflight.

SpaceX is making progress with its rocket missions and eventually hopes to provide affordable transportation for future space missions. 

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