Mars spacecraft's first missions face delays, NASA says

Mars spacecraft's first missions face delays, NASA says

NASA will probably delay the first two missions of its Orion deep-space capsule, being developed to send astronauts beyond earth's orbit and eventually to Mars, the US space agency said.

A report by NASA's Office of Inspector General cited technical as well as budget challenges.

The first launch of the Orion spacecraft atop the planned Space Launch System, or SLS—set to become the world's most powerful rocket when it flies—is currently scheduled for early November 2018 with no crew.

A second mission carrying astronauts is envisioned for August 2021 at the earliest.

[link to phys.org (secure)]