Washington, D.C. – NASA’s Office of Inspector General has issued a report urging improved oversight of approximately $27 billion worth of government property entrusted to contractors supporting the agency’s Artemis campaign, which aims to prepare astronauts for future missions to Mars.
The report, covering an audit conducted from July 2024 through June 2025, identified multiple instances where NASA failed to consistently enforce its property management policies. Notably, heavy equipment was incorrectly classified as contractor-held despite being located at NASA centers, a misclassification that may increase contract costs due to contractors maintaining separate property management systems.
Further concerns were raised about insufficient oversight of $1.5 million in federal property, spanning 229 items used in the Artemis program. The Inspector General emphasized that NASA’s current reliance on agency inventory audits, without detailed independent analysis, limits the effectiveness of property oversight.
To address these issues, the report recommends involving the Logistics Management Division of NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure to better support procurement officials. It also advises reviewing contracts not overseen by the Department of Defense’s Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to determine whether NASA can consolidate property administration tasks under DCMA management.
NASA has agreed to the recommendations, setting a target completion date of December 31, 2026, for the first, and September 30, 2026, for the second.
The Office of Inspector General declined further comment, and NASA did not respond to requests for additional information.
