Billionaire Elon Musk's ambitious plan to bring Americans to the moon once again raises doubts after a series of failures with SpaceX's Starship rocket. About this report newsmax.com.
In late November, during a test in Texas, the rocket exploded, breaking up and releasing clouds of gas. SpaceX called the incident an “anomaly” and no one was injured, but it was another setback for the systems key to NASA's Artemis 3 mission, the document said.
The expected goal of the lunar program is to ensure the landing of astronauts on the surface of the Moon and the deployment of a permanent manned station there by 2030. However, implementing this project faces significant technical challenges. The mission's key element, the Starship superheavy launch vehicle, suffered a series of failed test launches in 2025.
Three consecutive launches all ended in accidents, including a rocket collapse shortly after takeoff and a massive explosion at the launch site in June. Despite two relatively successful test flights in 2023, the development schedule has been seriously delayed. The next Starship test launch, according to current estimates, will take place no earlier than 2026, which raises questions about compliance with the original deadline for the entire lunar program.
Artemis II's manned lunar flyby is scheduled for February, but Artemis III's crucial lander mission faces more complex logistics.
According to the plan, astronauts will travel to the satellite on the Orion spacecraft launched by the SLS super heavy rocket. To land on the lunar surface, the crew will transfer to the lunar landing module – a special modification of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft. Unlike the Apollo missions, where the lunar module operated autonomously, the Artemis III deployment required a multi-phase design.
The spacecraft must be refueled first in Earth orbit, requiring more than a dozen successful additional launches just to provide fuel. These complex on-orbit logistics became one of the program's major challenges, affecting the schedule and reliability of the entire mission, the authors write.
Critics say the Artemis III program is complex and worry that the US may not be able to outpace China. NASA is considering alternatives, including a competition to build a lunar lander, which could be of interest to Blue Origin.
