Posted: Sat, Mar 9, 2019, 9:04 AM ET (1404 GMT)
A NASA official said Tuesday that the agency is "reassessing" the 2020 date for the first launch of the Space Launch System, suggesting further delays are possible. Jody Singer, director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, said that 2020 remains the official launch readiness date for Exploration Mission (EM) 1, but that NASA is looking at whether that date still works to make sure they are "ready to go fly safely." A report last October by NASA's Office of Inspector General concluded that NASA was unlikely to launch EM-1 by the middle of 2020 because of issues with the core stage of the rocket. Singer said NASA has been "overcoming challenges" with the rocket but that most of the vehicle, other than the core stage, is largely complete.

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