NASA Prepares for Possible Delays in Space Missions
NASA has decided to extend a contract for part of the Space Launch System (SLS) to avoid potential delays in future missions.
On August 21, NASA sent out the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) for Artemis 2 from Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will join other rocket components.
The LVSA is a cone-shaped piece standing 8.4 meters tall, connecting the upper stage to the core stage of the SLS. For now, it’s used with the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), but later versions of the rocket will use a bigger Exploration Upper Stage.
Teledyne Brown Engineering has been making the LVSA since they got the contract in 2014, worth about $200 million and ending in September.
NASA’s recent filing on August 14 announced the plan to extend this contract until at least September 2026. This extension will help Teledyne Brown finish the third and last LVSA under the contract.
There are also options for more extensions, the first being a nine-month one that could take the contract to June 2027. This might be needed to finish work on Artemis III and conduct post-flight analysis.
People sometimes wonder why space missions get delayed so often.
In January, NASA revealed delays for both Artemis 2 and 3 missions, pushing Artemis 2 to no earlier than September 2025 and Artemis 3 to no earlier than September 2026.
NASA hasn’t given new dates for these missions yet. They still need to fix the heat shield issue from the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in 2022. Plus, it’s unclear if SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander will be ready by late 2026 for Artemis 3.
NASA extending the LVSA contract seems like a smart move to handle any more delays. They even added “five option periods of six months each,” which could stretch the contract to December 2029 if needed.
