The Artemis 2 mission, currently scheduled to launch in September 2025, could be delayed by issues with the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program, which includes the mobile launcher and other ground systems needed to support launches of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The GAO report, released on Oct. 17, found that while EGS elements are close to completion, there is no schedule margin for the remaining activities. The report also noted that testing of the mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B has consumed the three months of schedule margin provided by the January delay of the Artemis 2 launch.
"Given the lack of margin, if further issues arise during testing or integration, there will likely be delays to the September 2025 Artemis II launch date," the GAO concluded.
The report also examined the status of Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch platform being built for the SLS Block 1B that will be introduced on the Artemis 4 mission scheduled for launch in September 2028. ML-2 has suffered extensive cost and schedule overruns by prime contractor Bechtel, with the potential for more.
The GAO recommended that NASA perform a formal schedule risk analysis to identify issues that could lead to future delays. "With approximately 4 years until Artemis IV and a significant amount of work ahead for Bechtel and EGS, regularly assessing EGS and ML2 schedule risks—including those following Bechtel's delivery—is critical to understanding if EGS and the ML2 will be ready for the planned Artemis IV launch date," it concluded.
NASA, in a response included in the report, only partially concurred with that recommendation, saying it did not plan to carry out that specific analysis. The agency said that it will instead use "multiple risk and schedule analysis instruments" to track progress on ML-2. "NASA believes these efforts meet the intent of the GAO recommendation to perform regular schedule analysis."