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SpaceX is preparing for a breakthrough mission to transfer propellant between two orbiting Starships, with the potential feat to act as a prelude for an uncrewed landing on the moon.
The attempt could take place as early as March next year, as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
NASA official Kent Chojnacki outlined the details in an interview with Spaceflight Now, with Elon Musk’s company fulfilling an important role for the U.S. space agency in addition to pursuing its own ambitions.
The propellant transfer test is a critical obstacle to overcome for NASA’s wider Artemis aims to return humans to the moon, with SpaceX’s Starlink spacecraft playing a pivotal role in the mission. The collaboration follows the award of a $4.05 billion contract for two Starship vehicles to ultimately deliver the first astronauts on the moon since the days of Apollo.
At present, it is anticipated the crewed landing will take place around September 2026.
SpaceX also won contracts worth $733.5 million for eight launches as part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program
“We learn a lot each time (a launch) happens,” noted Chojnacki, in reference to the ongoing Starship test flights with five recorded to date.
On October 13, SpaceX captured the imagination and plenty of headlines when it successfully caught its massive booster on its descent, using the chopstick-like arms of its ‘Mechazilla’ pad structure.
Chojnacki is the deputy manager of NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, with his service in the agency including significant input to the Space Launch System (SLS) program.
It manages the development of the large-scale rocket of the same name, with the inaugural SLS launching the Artemis I mission in December last year. It will continue to launch further missions into the future as part of Artemis.
The SLS rocket is not reusable in its entirety, so NASA is thought to be spending more than $2 billion on each launch.
