T+71: Commercial Crew, Congress, and the GAO

The Commercial Crew program—NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, and more—went in front of Congress to discuss the current status of the crew launch systems in development. Concurrently, the GAO released a report warning that more delays are likely, and could put NASA in a tough spot. I share some thoughts on the matter and talk through what is likely to happen this year.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 24 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, and five anonymous—and 120 other supporters on Patreon.

• Hearing - An Update on NASA Commercial Crew Systems Development - YouTube
• U.S. GAO - NASA Commercial Crew Program: Continued Delays Pose Risks for Uninterrupted Access to the International Space Station
• U.S. GAO - NASA Commercial Crew Program: Continued Delays Pose Risks for Uninterrupted Access to the International Space Station (PDF, 1.2MB)
• NASA’s Launch Vehicle “Stable Configuration” Double Standard - Main Engine Cut Off
• Atlas-3B-DEC (Atlas-IIIB-DEC)
• Trump administration wants to end NASA funding for the International Space Station by 2025 - The Verge
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