According to Abhishek Tripathi, a seasoned expert and former mission director at SpaceX, currently affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, he believes that this name has tremendous potential to be the best one yet. The notion of leveling to SLS as being crucial wears one out.
Despite their complexity, While Dumbacher acknowledges the strides made by SpaceX in developing Starship, he underscores that significant challenges still lie ahead. The prospect of launching a rocket may involve upgrading from gasoline to a singular lunar Starship operating in Earth’s orbit, ultimately enabling it to traverse the distance to the moon. The primary inspection of this gasoline switch is scheduled for next year.
With SpaceX’s Starship Lunar System (SLS), a single launch can send an Orion spacecraft all the way to the moon. The diminishment of the Space Launch System’s (SLS) case is hardly affected, Dumbacher notes, as long as the value of 18 Starship launches remains lower than that of a single SLS launch. SpaceX secured a contract in 2021 for its maiden Starship mission to the moon under NASA’s Artemis III program, though the exact cost per launch remains undisclosed.
MICHAEL DEMOCKER/NASA
NASA can simultaneously develop hardware for future Space Launch System (SLS) missions. According to NASA, all components for the second Space Launch System (SLS) for Artemis II have been delivered, with additional hardware currently in production for subsequent missions Artemis III, IV, and V.
According to NASA, the Space Launch System (SLS) has the capability to transport an extra payload to the moon in a single launch, surpassing every other rocket. “The company’s lunar transportation requirements necessitate the design and development of a rocket capable of meeting these demands.”
If the US aims to beat China in returning humans to the moon, as announced, Dumbacher suggests that scrapping NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) could hinder this goal, given the agency’s aspirations to reach lunar orbit before its Chinese counterpart. “Now is not the moment to reassess what has become one of the most outstanding rockets,” he remarks. As NASA’s commercial crew program faces further delays, the United States is risking falling behind China in the race to the moon.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to implement significant cuts to public spending through the newly formed Division on Authorities Effectiveness, a key component of his upcoming administration. While the specific goals of this endeavor remain unclear, programs similar to SLS may face evaluation and assessment.
Despite needing congressional approval to cancel the Space Launch System (SLS), Republicans’ narrow majority in Congress presents an obstacle. According to Forczyk, the Surface-Launched Small Diameter Missile’s (SLS) bipartisan support and widespread popularity suggest that any hasty action to alter its trajectory is unlikely. “Cash invested by SLS has a direct impact on taxpayers and voters in crucial congressional districts where the rocket’s development is taking place, yielding a profit,” declares Forczyk. It’s unclear what impact Elon Musk could have.
