The Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized several space programs on cost and other criteria.

They were among many defense procurement programs that have run a combined total $296 billion over earlier cost estimates.

Specifically, GAO, the watchdog agency, examined the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS), the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) Space & Control program, the PATRIOT/MEADS Combined Aggregate Program (CAP) Fire Unit, the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High program, the Space-Based Space Surveillance Block 10 program, the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) , and an array of non-space systems.

To read the report titled "Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs" in full, please go to http://www.gao.gov on the Web.