NASA's New Estimate: 22 Starship Launches Needed for a Single Moon Landing
At its quarterly meeting on October 22, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel estimated that 22 Starship launches would be required to refuel a Starship lunar lander in low Earth orbit. NASA had previously been reluctant to disclose this figure, with earlier estimates suggesting around 12 launches. Some officials worry that SpaceX's progress in increasing launch capacity may not be fast enough to have Starship play a role in the Artemis program within this decade.
New NASA Estimate: 22 Starship Launches Needed for a Single Moon Landing
At its quarterly meeting on October 22, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel provided a new estimate: 22 Starship launches would be required to refuel a Starship lunar lander in low Earth orbit.
NASA had previously been reluctant to disclose this figure, with earlier statements suggesting a range from the "high single digits to the low double digits"—around 12 launches. Other officials had said the number was "close to 20." Some officials worry that SpaceX's progress in increasing its launch capacity may not be fast enough to have Starship play a role in the Artemis program within this decade.
Source: Ars Technica
