NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s decision to cancel several exploration programs earlier this year drew criticism from contractors and space enthusiasts. A new inspector general report suggests the cuts were justified — the programs were years behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget.
The most striking example is the Universal Stage Adapter, a piece of hardware for the Space Launch System rocket. NASA contracted Dynetics in June 2017 to build it. The original contract was $131 million. By the time it was canceled, the cost had ballooned to $353 million with delivery pushed to September 2028. The inspector general projected it would ultimately cost $497 million and not be ready until May 2030.
Let that sink in: half a billion dollars for a stage adapter — essentially a large composite tube with no propulsion — that would take 13 years to build.
NASA’s chief of Human Spaceflight, Lori Glaze, said the report reinforces the rationale behind the cancellations. The programs suffered from cost growth, schedule slips, contractor performance issues, and evolving mission requirements. NASA has pivoted toward a streamlined Artemis architecture focused on a lunar surface base rather than an orbital space station.
The report also notes that the Lunar Gateway — NASA’s planned orbital outpost — likely wouldn’t have been operational until at least 2032 due to delays with the Habitation and Logistics Outpost module. NASA has already asked Northrop Grumman to stop work on that module.
