--- title: "NASA Begs Companies to Clone Its Super-Expensive Moon Rocket for Cheap" description: "NASA is turning to the private industry to keep the doomed and Moon-bound Space Launch System alive — and for the next 30 year or so." date: "2021-10-27" modified: "2021-10-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-clone-sls-cheap" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "NASA" - "sls" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA Begs Companies to Clone Its Super-Expensive Moon Rocket for Cheap ![NASA is turning to the private industry to keep the doomed and Moon-bound Space Launch System alive — and for the next 30 year or so.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Spending Less Scratch After spending tens of billions of dollars developing its super-heavy and Moon-bound [Space Launch System]() (SLS), NASA is turning to the private industry to keep the doomed system alive — and for the next 30 years or so. In a request [spotted by *Ars Technica*](), NASA is suggesting a single contractor could take over production, ownership of flight hardware, and operations while also arranging the leasing of the system to other contractors. NASA proposes that it could remain an "anchor tenant" of the SLS, flying a crew into space once a year using the rocket. So in other words, NASA is committing to using the troubled launch system long term once it's in the hands of a contractor. NASA is also suggesting the contractor could produce the rocket at half the price or less compared to the current "baseline per flight cost," *Ars* reports — which, although it's a laudable goal, raises the unavoidable question of why NASA didn't build a cheaper and more practical rocket in the first place. ## Expensive Rocket Why any private entity would take over production and leasing of the system is somewhat unclear — it's not exactly a hot deal. The rocket has cost over 30 billion dollars and over a decade to develop. It's also an exceedingly expensive way to get astronauts to the Moon. According to [2019 budget estimates](), each launch could cost over $2 billion. But we have yet to get a straight answer from NASA as to how much each launch could cost — let alone if a contractor will actually be able to bring down costs per launch. Unlike SpaceX's heavy launch system Starship, the SLS is also fully expendable, meaning that none of the components will ever be reused. As *Ars* points out, it wouldn't be the first time NASA tried to offload a launch system. In the 1990s, the agency consolidated Space Shuttle operations under the United Space Alliance, a single contractor. Is NASA looking for a Hail Mary to ensure a future of its extremely over budget and [behind schedule]() rocket? To many, the industry has already moved on from expensive and expendable rockets. But given the agency's existing relations and yearly budget from the government, it's likely a contractor will come forward sooner rather than later. **READ MORE:** [NASA wants to buy SLS rockets at half price, fly them into the 2050s]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More on the SLS:** *[The SLS Is Probably the Last Rocket NASA Will Ever Build]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()