NASA's independent safety advisers warned, that development of SpaceX's lunar version of Starship may be significantly behind schedule and not ready for the planned Artemis mission 3 in 2027 year.
Key risks
The main challenge has been determined to work out the technology of transfer of cryogenic fuel in orbit, necessary to refuel the Starship before the flight to the moon. The implementation of this stage depends on the version of the ship Starship V3, which should ensure the possibility of such operations, as well as from the improvement of the Raptor V3 engine. Both directions, Experts estimate, are delayed.
SpaceX achievements and challenges
The Council noted the high rate of Falcon launches 9, largely due to the Starlink project, which provided SpaceX with a unique experience in manufacturing, preparation of missions and operation of reusable missiles. This factor contributes to increased reliability and lower costs. At the same time, it creates competition for resources between the development of Starship and the fulfillment of contractual obligations for NASA.
Artemis schedule uncertainty
Ongoing preparations for Artemis 2, scheduled to start 2026 year, happening according to plan. However, the Artemis implementation 3, which is to become the first manned lunar landing stage, is estimated as uncertain.
Apart from Starship HLS, critical elements of the mission were called the development of new lunar spacesuits by the company Axiom Space. Both programs have extremely compact schedules, and any delays could derail plans to land on the moon 2027 year.
Further actions
NASA advisors will continue to monitor the Starship HLS program, paying particular attention to technical readiness for on-orbit fuel transfer, as well as general synchronization of the program with other key elements of Artemis.
Source: https://spacenews.com