NASA has announced that the launch of its Mars Science Laboratory will be delayed until the fall of 2011 due to technical challenges and hardware issues. Originally scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009, the large nuclear-powered rover will carry scientific instruments as part of NASA’s “long-term effort of robotic exploration” to study the early environmental history of Mars and to assess whether the planet can sustain life. The cost of the mission has risen to $2.1 billion, up from its original price tag of $1.6 billion. NASA’s budget for the current fiscal year is roughly $15 billion. While some critics have charged that the delay and cost overruns are indicative of an agency plagued by a lack of accountability and inefficiency, NASA claims that it is continually working to improve its cost-estimating capabilities. Despite the delay, NASA officials remain earnest in their efforts to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission, which they assert is too important to fail.
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