NASA Says SpaceX's Moon Lander Won't Be Ready in 2027

NASA said SpaceX 's lunar lander , a variant of the Starship vehicle that would carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar surface , will not be ready in time for the Artemis 3 mission , scheduled for 2027 , which would return an astronaut to the surface of our satellite. The US space agency said this during a meeting with members of the Committee on Aerospace Safety and Security.

The risk is that the delay , estimated to last years, could push the entire Artemis program back. NASA reached this conclusion following its visit to SpaceX's spaceport in August and meetings with executives from Elon Musk's company.

Of particular concern is the demonstration of the cryogenic transfer of propellant , which is needed to refuel Starship in low Earth orbit before it can head to the Moon. The same concern was expressed by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell, speaking at World Space Business Week on September 16: "I hope it's not as difficult as some of my engineers think it might be," Shotwell said.

Despite this, the NASA Committee also praised SpaceX for its achievements so far , particularly the rapid launches made possible by the Falcon 9 rocket. "There is no competitor, neither government nor industrial, that has this complete combination of factors that allow for such high production rates and launches," said Paul Hill, one of the Committee members, "with the related direct benefits of increased reliability and reduced costs. However, this creates priorities that conflict with the development of Starship and the lunar lander."