NEW ORLEANS — A critical report issued by NASA's Office of Inspector General on Thursday regarding the 10-year Space Launch System Block 1B development for future Artemis astronaut missions to the Moon and Mars, pointed at least some fingers toward the "lack of a sufficient number of trained and experienced aerospace workers" at Boeing's Michoud Assembly Facility.
WWL Louisiana media partner NOLA.com released the report on Friday.
The report found that Boeing’s quality management system at Michoud does not adhere to these standards or NASA requirements. NASA states a lack of quality control has led to 71 issues on the project that range from minor to potentially serious.
"According to NASA officials, the welding issues arose due to Boeing’s inexperienced technicians and inadequate work order planning and supervision," stated NASA's Inspector General. "The lack of a trained and qualified workforce increases the risk that Boeing will continue to manufacture parts and components that do not adhere to NASA requirements and industry standards."
These issues are partly blamed for the Michoud-based project being currently projected $700 million over budget and delays of ups to 7 years, some of which are due to Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) funds to the core state during Artemis I production, changing Artemis mission assignments and maintaining an extended workforce seven years more than planned, manufacturing issues and supply chain challenges.
President and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc Michael Hecht Disagrees with the report, saying Michoud has a solid track record.
“It just doesn’t square to me that there’s an issue with hiring qualified workers when we’ve been doing it for so long and so successfully,” President and CEO of GNO Inc. Michael Hecht said.
New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas described the report as unfair, claiming Boeing’s issues aren’t exclusive to New Orleans.
“Maybe they should get to the bottom of their issues before they start disparaging American communities,” New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas said.
According to NOLA.com reporter Stephanie Riegel, Boeing declined to comment on the report, while NASA has yet to respond to a request for comment. NASA did include a response to the findings in the report, which included a plan for improvement:
"We recommended the Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) in conjunction with the Assistant Administrator for Procurement and the Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance: (1) coordinate with Boeing, the SLS Stages prime contractor, to develop a quality management system training program that is compliant with AS9100D and reviewed by the appropriate NASA officials and (2) institute financial penalties for Boeing’s noncompliance with quality control standards. To minimize the impact on the Artemis campaign’s timeline and achieve sustainability, we recommended the Associate Administrator for ESDMD: (3) perform a detailed cost overrun analysis on Boeing’s Stages contract for EUS development. To provide greater visibility into cost and schedule estimates for SLS upgrades, we recommended the Associate Administrator for ESDMD: (4) coordinate with DCMA to ensure contractual compliance with EVMS clauses."
Read the complete NASA OIG report below:
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.