Scientific and mission objectives influence the types of  equipment needed for the mission, including the mission’s power source. Since its inception until early 2017, DOE has used  a short-term and incremental segmented management approach to  manage the Supply Project. NASA Selects RPS for Missions Based Primarily on Scientific Objectives, and Several Factors May Affect NASA’s Demand for RPS and Pu-238

NASA selects RPS to power its missions primarily based on scientific  objectives and mission destinations. Prior to the establishment of DOE’s Supply Project in fiscal year 2011,  NASA officials we interviewed stated that mission selections were  influenced by the limited amount of available Pu-238. Cost of RPS relative to mission costs. Technological advances may reduce the demand for Pu-238 and thus  RPS. The Supply Project goal of producing 1.5 kg of Pu-238 per year was  established to support two to three PSD missions using RPS each  decade, and NASA does not anticipate other potential users to affect  demand for RPS or Pu-238, according to NASA and DOE officials and  documentation we reviewed. DOE planning documents and NASA  officials we interviewed stated that current RPS and Pu-238 production  levels expected from the Supply Project are intended to only meet PSD’s  demand. DOE Has Made Progress Meeting NASA’s RPS and Pu- 238 Demand, but Faces Challenges Reaching Full Production Goals

DOE has made progress meeting NASA’s future demand for Pu-238 to  fuel RPS. DOE demonstrated a proof of concept for new Pu-238 production, and  has made approximately 100 grams of new Pu-238 isotope under its  Supply Project, since the project’s inception in 2011. DOE’s ability to meet its production goal and support future NASA  missions is at risk if certain steps for chemical processing necessary for  the production of Pu-238 are not improved and scaled up. According to  DOE officials we interviewed, DOE is still in the experimental stage and  has not perfected certain chemical processing measures required to  extract new Pu-238 isotope from irradiated targets, creating a bottleneck  in the Supply Project and putting production goals at risk. However, DOE officials we interviewed did not describe how the new  constant GPHS production rate approach would help them address some  of the longer-term challenges previously identified by the agency, such as  scaling up and perfecting chemical processing. We found that DOE has  yet to develop an implementation plan for the new approach, with defined  tasks and milestones, that can be used to show progress toward  assessing challenges, demonstrate how risks are being addressed, or  assist in making adjustments to its efforts when necessary. Our previous  work has shown that without defined tasks and milestones, it is difficult for  agencies to set priorities, use resources efficiently, and monitor progress  toward achieving program objectives. In our September 2017 report, we recommended that DOE develop a  plan that outlined interim steps and milestones that would allow the  agency to monitor and assess the implementation of its new approach for  managing Pu-238 and RPS production. Doing so would better position DOE to assess the long-term  effects of the challenges associated with its Pu-238 and RPS production  objectives. Finally, in our September 2017 report we found that DOE’s new approach  to managing RPS and Pu-238 production does not allow for DOE to  adequately communicate long-term challenges to NASA. Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government call for agency  management to use quality information to achieve agency objectives and  communicate quality information externally through reporting lines so that  external parties can help achieve agency objectives and address related  risks. In our September 2017 report, we recommended that DOE assess  the long-term effects that known challenges may have on Pu-238  production quantities, time frames, and required funding, and  communicate these potential effects to NASA.
Why GAO Did This Study

This testimony summarizes the information contained in GAO's September 2017 report, entitled Space Exploration: DOE Could Improve Planning and Communication Related to Plutonium-238 and Radioisotope Power Systems Production Challenges ( GAO-17-673 ).

What GAO Found

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selects radioisotope power systems (RPS) for missions primarily based on the agency's scientific objectives and mission destinations. Prior to the establishment of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Supply Project in fiscal year 2011 to produce new plutonium-238 (Pu-238), NASA officials said that Pu-238 supply was a limiting factor in selecting RPS-powered missions. After the initiation of the Supply Project, however, NASA officials GAO interviewed said that missions are selected independently of decisions on how to power them. Once a mission is selected, NASA considers power sources early in its mission review process. Multiple factors could affect NASA's demand for RPS and Pu-238. For example, high costs associated with RPS and missions can affect the demand for RPS because, according to officials, NASA's budget can only support one RPS mission about every 4 years. Expected technological advances in RPS efficiency could reduce NASA's demand for RPS and Pu-238.
DOE has made progress in reestablishing Pu-238 production to meet NASA's future demand to fuel RPS and has identified challenges to meeting its production goals. Specifically, since the start of the Supply Project, DOE has produced 100 grams of Pu-238 and expects to finalize production processes and produce interim quantities by 2019. However, DOE has also identified several challenges to meeting the Supply Project goal of producing 1.5 kilograms (kg) of new Pu-238 per year by 2026. DOE officials GAO interviewed said that DOE has not perfected the chemical processing required to extract new Pu-238 from irradiated targets to meet production goals. These officials also said that achieving the Pu-238 production goal is contingent on the use of two reactors, but only one reactor is currently qualified for Pu-238 production while the second reactor awaits scheduled maintenance. Moreover, while DOE has adopted a new approach for managing the Supply Project and RPS production—based on a constant production approach—the agency has not developed an implementation plan that identifies milestones and interim steps that can be used to demonstrate progress in meeting production goals and addressing previously identified challenges. GAO's prior work shows that plans that include milestones and interim steps help an agency to set priorities, use resources efficiently, and monitor progress in achieving agency goals. By developing a plan with milestones and interim steps for DOE's approach to managing Pu-238 and RPS production, DOE can show progress in implementing its approach and make adjustments when necessary. Lastly, DOE's new approach to managing the Supply Project does not improve its ability to assess the potential long-term effects of challenges DOE identified, such as chemical processing and reactor availability, or to communicate these effects to NASA. For example, DOE officials did not explain how the new approach would help assess the long-term effects of challenges, such as those related to chemical processing. Under Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government , agencies should use quality information to achieve objectives and to communicate externally, so that external parties can help achieve agency objectives. Without the ability to assess the long-term effects of known challenges and communicate those effects to NASA, DOE may be jeopardizing NASA's ability to use RPS as a power source for future missions.