The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the investigative arm of Congress, also known as the "congressional watchdog." It supports Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. GAO provides reports and assessments on various government programs, including those related to the Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), offering oversight on space acquisitions, programs, and related activities.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The Government Accountability Office warned that Starship delays could reduce astronaut training time and increase the probability of loss of the vehicle, crew, and mission during landing.
On July 2, 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released an annual defense acquisition assessment of the U.S. Space Force’s major procurement portfolio.
The Government Accountability Office found in its 2025 review of DoD OTA use that the transition from prototype to production has often taken longer than program offices projected.
The Government Accountability Office found in its 2025 review of DoD OTA use that follow-on production agreements under OTA authority have historically been awarded to a substantially narrower field than the original prototype cohort.
The Government Accountability Office warned that, without action, the United States may cede low-Earth-orbit work to China.
The Government Accountability Office said there is a risk of a gap in International Space Station research when the station agreement expires in 2030.
The Government Accountability Office has corroborated concentration risks in Department of Defense acquisition program supply chains.
The Government Accountability Office concluded that the Space Development Agency is overestimating the technological readiness of its tracking layer infrastructure.
The Government Accountability Office found that contractors had not yet demonstrated timely, actionable 3D threat tracking data on the ground.
The Government Accountability Office released report GAO-26-107085 criticizing the Space Development Agency’s tracking layer program.
The Government Accountability Office found that NASA had issued cybersecurity guidance but had not made it mandatory for programs or incorporated it into acquisition contracts with vendors.
The Government Accountability Office found in 2024 that a cyberattack on a NASA spacecraft could result in loss of mission data, decreased lifespan or capability of space systems, or loss of control of space vehicles.
NASA’s Artemis program contracts in the two elements scrutinized by the Government Accountability Office included requirements related to NASA spacecraft cybersecurity standards and required contractors to demonstrate those requirements through testing.
A January 2026 Government Accountability Office report found that the Department of Defense lacks a reliable life-cycle cost estimate for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
A January 2026 Government Accountability Office report found that combatant commands have insufficient insight into Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture system requirements.
A January 2026 Government Accountability Office report found that no architecture-level schedule exists for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
The Government Accountability Office issued report GAO-26-107085 on January 28, 2026 finding that the SDA is overestimating the technology readiness of its tracking layer and lacks a unified architecture-level schedule to track how individual tranche delays impact global missile defense capabilities.
The Space Development Agency has not yet successfully demonstrated an optical link between two different vendors in space, according to a Government Accountability Office report released this month.
The bill mandates a Government Accountability Office review to examine how many nongovernmental human missions to the ISS are flown, whether companies fully reimburse NASA’s associated costs, and how those flights affect NASA’s science and technology priorities.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week reviewing the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) planning for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).