The complex and complicated sequence depends on a number of unproven techniques; The most important of which is the need to refuel the spacecraft while it waits in space. Dreher said it is not yet clear how many launches will be required to transport the necessary fuel, but they must occur in quick succession.
“A dozen to perhaps 20 refueling launches will be needed within a month to refill the spacecraft’s tanks so it has enough energy to send itself to the moon and back,” he said. “This has never been done before.”
He added that refueling in space alone would require “tremendous advances” compared to the current state of Starship.
“It’s a huge, huge challenge,” Dreyer said. “Without all that, you won’t get to the moon.”
The Starship lander is expected to rise about 150 feet above the powerful, spidery-looking lander NASA used in the Apollo program. The longer design enables the spacecraft to carry more passengers and cargo, but it may also make the spacecraft less stable than its Apollo counterpart.
However, Dreyer said it didn’t make sense for NASA to turn to older technologies, partly because of the cost. A single launch of the Saturn V rocket used by NASA for the Apollo missions would cost about $2 billion today. On the other hand, SpaceX aims to make the Starship fully reusable, which will reduce costs and shorten the time period between launches.
The company’s next step is to debut a prototype of its upgraded Starship, which will be about 5 feet tall and have new docking mechanisms, greater energy storage and software upgrades to prepare it for long-duration flights.
The new version will be used in Starship’s first orbital flights and will help SpaceX test key procedures, such as transporting fuel and carrying payloads into space, SpaceX officials said. He wrote in another After testing on Monday.
Future flights, like the one this week, will be closely monitored as China’s 2030 target approaches.
“Four years in space is hardly time at all,” Dreyer said. “It’s incredibly complex and demanding stuff, because space is trying to kill you all the time.”