Bloomberg Assails NASA Space Launch System With Misconceptions And Faulty Logic (From Forbes)

The editorial board at Bloomberg News published a critique of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) last week that was full of questionable assertions and as a result came to erroneous conclusions. It complained about schedule delays and cost increases when in fact every major launch vehicle in recent times has encountered such delays, and the SLS cost to date is a fraction of what Saturn V cost. It called SLS technology outdated when in fact the technology was mandated by Congress because it was (1) proven and (2) paid for. It claimed alternatives to SLS are available, or soon will be, from private space companies when the evidence of that is suspect at best. And it called into question the rationale for going back to the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars, when Mars is the destination to which virtually everybody who supports the human spaceflight program assigns highest priority. Bloomberg’s editorial board needs to do more research before launching such sweeping critiques. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.