Slow progress in conquering the Moon, NASA puts pressure on SpaceX to break through

SpaceX said it has completed multiple milestones in its contract to develop a lunar lander; key technical milestones are set for 2026, including an extended test flight.

On October 30, technology billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX corporation said it had submitted to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) a shortened plan to bring humans back to the Moon soon using the Starship rocket system.

The move comes as NASA is pressuring contractors to speed up and surpass China in the race to conquer the Moon this decade.

Accordingly, SpaceX confirmed that it has completed dozens of important milestones in the contract to develop the Starship lunar lander.

The company also said that key technical milestones will be achieved in 2026, including extended test flights. Starship has already conducted a total of 11 test flights to refine the design.

Additionally, another important milestone that SpaceX hopes to achieve in 2026 is a space refueling test—an extremely complex process that has never been done before and plays a crucial role in ensuring that Starship has enough fuel to land on the Moon.

Previously, NASA had expected this test to take place as early as 2024. However, the development progress and test launches of Starship have continuously encountered obstacles.

SpaceX plans to launch an upgraded Starship prototype - a version equipped with special features for space refueling missions - later this year or early next year.

SpaceX said the timing of the refueling test will depend on the progress of upcoming Starship V3 test flights.

NASA now faces stiff competition from China in its effort to send astronauts back to the Moon, a place humans have not set foot on since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

Previously, in 2021, NASA selected SpaceX as a strategic partner to carry out the first two landing missions in the Artemis lunar exploration program, while the aerospace company Blue Origin founded by Jeff Bezos won a subcontract for subsequent missions in Artemis.

However, in a statement last week, NASA Director Sean Duffy said SpaceX was behind schedule in developing Starship.

Accordingly, NASA may reopen SpaceX's Artemis contract to competitors capable of coming up with a plan to shorten the time it takes to return humans to the surface of the Moon./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cham-tien-do-chinh-phuc-mat-trang-nasa-gay-suc-ep-de-spacex-but-pha-post1074131.vnp