A satellite meant to fill in a potential gap in satellite weather coverage runs the risk of running twice late, warns a NASA inspector general report.

The report, dated June 2, says the NPOESS Preparatory Project satellite is scheduled for an October 2011 launch but that potential ground system integration and testing issues might require a delay.

NPP, a minibus-sized satellite that was first meant to act as earth observation coverage gap filler in anticipation of the now-dissolved National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System program, was supposed to have launched in October 2006 at a lifecycle cost of $560 million.

Current estimates peg the lifecycle cost at $864 million, although the report lays the blame for the delay and cost increase squarely outside of NASA, on the NPOESS Integrated Program Office, which was staffed by Defense Department, NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel.

NPOESS, plagued by cost overruns, was dissolved by the White House in February 2010 into two separate projects, one led by NASA and NOAA, the other by the DoD. As part of that disbanding, contracts for associated ground systems went away from the Air Force and to NASA and NOAA, leading to delivery delays, the report says. It wasn't until November 2010 that the ground system hardware and contracts were finally transferred, the report adds.

NPP program management told auditors that it typically takes 15 months to perform ground system integration and testing after integration of the last instrument, which for NPP occurred in June 2010. While that theoretically makes an October 2011 NPP launch possible, auditors doubt its plausibility, since NPP staff also said they expect some integration issues could take longer than 15 months to resolve.

Were a delay to occur, the next window for launch would be in February 2012, which would add $35 million to the price tag and could result in a gap in data continuity, auditors say.  

A NASA spokeswoman did not immediately return a call inquiring about the possibility of a delay.

UPDATE July 8, 3:58 p.m. -- NASA released the following statement:

"The NPP observatory  is on track for launch in October 2011. We have successfully  completed environmental testing and initial ground system testing.  The transfer of responsibility for the NPP ground system from the NPOESS contractor to the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program has been completed. The ground system is on track to support an October launch. We are beginning the final ground system test next week.  While NASA is continuing to progress on schedule toward an October launch date, we have committed to a launch date of no later than February 2012 if we do encounter delays resulting from these final tests. At this point we fully expect NPP to launch in October."

For more:
- download the report, IG-11-018 (.pdf)

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