Inspector General Urges NASA to Explore Commercial Options for SLS

NASA's inspector general, Paul Martin, has released a report stating that the cost of building the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is likely to increase, contradicting NASA's cost-reduction plan. The current estimate to build a single SLS rocket is $2.2 billion, and NASA's goal to achieve a 50% cost reduction is deemed highly unrealistic. The main issue lies in the extremely high costs of the SLS rocket, particularly the four main engines, which cost $582.7 million in total. Martin emphasizes the importance of achieving affordability goals to ensure the sustainability of NASA's deep space exploration efforts.