SpaceX appears to be re-evaluating its lunar landing plans, aiming to land the first human-crewed mission to the Moon’s south pole as soon as possible.
The company has a NASA contract to launch the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for launch in 2028. During that mission, SpaceX will use a highly modified version of its massive Starship system to carry humans to the Moon. Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket in history.
But the program’s progress appears to be far from smooth. NASA’s interim administrator, Sean Duffy, has announced that the agency will reopen the Artemis 3 landing contract, citing concerns about the slow pace of Starship’s development. While the rocket has already flown 11 test flights, the last two of which were successful, it has yet to reach Earth orbit and test key features needed for a lunar mission, such as in-space refueling.
SpaceX states that its goal is not only to send people to the Moon but also to develop technology that will, in the long term, enable humans to reach Mars and make it a second home.
