SpaceX Simplified Artemis Plan Amid Safety Concerns

NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened the Artemis III lunar-lander contract after saying SpaceX was behind schedule, prompting renewed competition including Blue Origin. SpaceX has formally proposed a “simplified” Starship-based mission architecture it says would accelerate a human return to the Moon and improve crew safety while defending progress in a long update listing dozens of HLS milestones. The company highlighted Starship’s heavy-payload capability (about 100 metric tons) and described a two-track funding approach with much first-stage work largely self-funded and the Ship upper stage funded by NASA through milestone payments. SpaceX published interior renders of the Starship HLS showing a very large, sparsely outfitted cabin that critics say could be an unsafe use of volume in microgravity. Critical technical milestones remain — demonstrating in-orbit refueling, reliable surface and ground landings, and Block upgrades to lift sufficient fuel — and SpaceX has not released full operational details of the simplified plan. NASA safety advisers say a 2027/2028 landing target may be optimistic, the dispute has become public with Elon Musk criticizing agency officials, and the debate has intensified amid concerns about a perceived race with China.