NASA’s software update for Space Launch System is 77% over budget
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029702
Ars Technica : As part of NASA’s development of the Space Launch System , the agency is also updating the launch and flight control software at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The software constantly monitors and controls the rocket and launch pad mechanisms, and it can autonomously cancel a launch if a problem is detected. A new report by Paul Martin, NASA’s inspector general, finds that the development process is $90.1 million over its initial budget of $117.3 million and several years behind schedule. The report pins the cost and delays on the June 2006 decision to combine multiple products and parts of products into one software package. Instead, NASA could have developed a system in-house or purchased existing software, such as that used by Orbital ATK and SpaceX.