Flagship Overruns Starve Portfolios

NASA’s Inspector General reports Dragonfly’s life‑cycle cost has risen to over $3 billion with 2+ years of delay, driven by multiple replans (COVID, supply chains, launch vehicle changes, funding, inflation). The growing budget share is contributing to a 12‑year gap in mid‑class New Frontiers launches and threatens decadal survey priorities. This shows how a single flagship mission can cannibalize a balanced planetary portfolio. — It spotlights a structural science‑governance problem where cost growth in marquee projects undermines strategic planning and broad scientific output.