Nasa’s Moon mission could be ‘years late’ due to issues with Elon Musk’s Starship
US ‘falling behind China in space race’ due to Starship issues
- Nasa's Artemis 3 mission to return humans to the Moon could be delayed by several years due to unresolved issues with SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS).
- Experts from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel identified SpaceX's inability to demonstrate cryogenic propellant transfer in low Earth orbit as a critical challenge for the HLS.
- Paul Hill, a panelist and former Nasa director, said that the HLS schedule is “significantly challenged” and could be “years late” for the revised 2027 Moon landing target.
- SpaceX, which secured a multi-billion dollar contract in 2021 for the lunar lander, has experienced multiple Starship flight test failures, including explosions and technical setbacks.
- Former Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine warned that the ongoing issues with Starship mean the United States is falling behind China in the current space race to the Moon.