NASA and SpaceX are making significant progress in their efforts to return to the Moon, with plans to link two Starships in orbit for a refueling demonstration next year. SpaceX, under contract with NASA for the Artemis program, is aiming to return to the Moon by 2026 with the help of their human-rated Starships.
In a recent development, Blue Origin has also been awarded a contract for a human-rated lunar lander, providing NASA with two options for their mission. Both the Starship and Blue Moon designs allow for in-space refueling, enabling reusability and resource utilization in space.
SpaceX has been steadily progressing with their Starship test program, with the next test flight expected by the end of May. The company is scheduled to attempt the first demonstration of large-scale propellant transfer between two Starships in orbit next year, following a successful cryogenic propellant transfer test in a recent test flight.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is optimistic about the progress of the Super Heavy booster recovery in Texas later this year, as well as the Starship landing in Texas next year. SpaceX aims to achieve precise landings of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as in-orbit engine restarts for controlled reentry.
The company’s goal is to recover and rapidly reuse Starships and boosters to increase launch cadence. With these advancements, SpaceX is paving the way for future missions to the Moon and beyond, demonstrating the potential for commercial space travel on a larger scale.
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