BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — SpaceX says its Starship is leading the race back to the moon, completing 49 major milestones that include life support testing and spacecraft docking demonstrations.
The company maintains that Starship remains the fastest path to a lunar landing under NASA’s Artemis program, even as the agency reopens its lunar lander contract to additional competitors in an effort to beat China back to the moon.
Florida Tech’s Don Platt notes that the competition is heating up, with both NASA and SpaceX under pressure to move quickly. In response, SpaceX has proposed a streamlined mission plan aimed at accelerating the timeline while improving astronaut safety.
The next big steps for Space X’s Starship is an extended flight and an in-orbit propellant transfer test. Both are slated for 2026.
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