The ingenuity of SpaceX and Starship scares NASA

A fully reusable spacecraft, capable of ensuring a regular connection between the Moon and Earth and transporting a crew and payload of more than 100 tons there. In a few years, Elon Musk assures that such a machine will not be a fantasy, but a reality.

Starship His company, SpaceX, should make its first orbital flight by the end of 2022, before it traverses the path of the Earth’s satellite, and eventually heads to Mars. NASA has a similar program called the Space Launch System (SLS) that aims to propel a crew to the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft.

This program called ArtemisResponsible for preparing the US space agency’s first manned mission to Mars. Sadly, the SLS’s first liftoff has already been delayed, and each of its flights is estimated at $2 billion (€1.76 billion) – an amount that would probably be too high for NASA to alone guarantee a permanent presence on the Moon.

Not just SpaceX, but the company pledges that its ships will be cheaper and quickly reusable. This will allow for more round trips and economies of scale, while Artemis plans flights that are at least two years apart. So NASA seems doubly stressful, whether it’s behind in its schedule or in the technology it has chosen.

Neuron NASA

“Once the reliability of the system has been demonstrated by several flights, which may only take a few months, it will render all existing launchers obsolete.And Explain to Politico Rand Simbergflight engineer. If the SLS only flies once every two years, it simply won’t become a major player in the future of space. “

Therefore, the US space agency is very concerned about the progress of its own competitor. Or use the rude words used in Politico by a Washington lobbyist who works in the sector, “They’re dodging it.”.

However, while Musk definitely has talent Frustrate pessimistic expectationsIt also has a long history of flowery false promises. whether in About Tesla Autopilot or underground sound loopThe billionaire seems to be particularly fond of unsustainable schedules. So it remains to be seen if the spacecraft can be respected.