NASA may have no choice but to postpone the launch of its next mission to land astronauts on the moon by more than a year. Growing pains for SpaceX's massive Starship rocket over the past year have stunted the timeline for the still-developing launch vehicle and spacecraft, which is contracted to land astronauts on the lunar surface as a part of NASA's Artemis 3 mission. The space agency is targeting 2027 for that launch, but SpaceX's own timeline seems to contradict that, reinforcing concerns previously voiced by NASA officials over Starship's readiness.
According to an internal SpaceX document obtained by Politico, the company is targeting June 2026 for the first orbital refueling demonstration between Starship vehicles, and an uncrewed lunar landing in June 2027. If Starship manages to breeze through those qualification tests and stick to its current timeline, SpaceX estimates the earliest first attempt to complete a crewed mission to the surface of the moon could take place in September 2028
Drudge Retort Headlines
In Reversal, Trump Says Release Epstein Files (109 comments)
Epstein-Maxwell Survivors' PSA (66 comments)
Atmospheric River Hits Southern California (21 comments)
Bessent: 'we will see' About $2,000 Rebate Checks (19 comments)
Six-Figure Earners Struggling in Trump Economy (16 comments)
Activists Take to Mexico's Streets, Accusing Leaders of Protecting Cartels (16 comments)
Trump Has No Idea Why He Needed an MRI (16 comments)
Trump: Made a Decision on Venezuela Military Operations (14 comments)
Food Stamps Are Back, But Millions Will Soon Lose Benefits (14 comments)
Donald Trump's Approval Rating Crashes With Baby Boomers (13 comments)