Summary
SpaceX is under contract with NASA to supply two human-rated Starships for the first two astronaut landings on the Moon through the agency's Artemis program. The first of these landings, on NASA's Artemis III mission, is currently targeted for 2026, although this is widely viewed as an ambitious schedule.
In the U.S. and around the world, there are more than 100,000 people working on the next generation of space telescopes. The next generation will be able to see the entire world from space. The new technology will allow us to see more of the world from orbit.
SpaceX plans to use a single launch pad for both flights. The two Starships will autonomously link belly to belly as they fly a couple hundred miles above the planet. On future Starship missions targeting destinations in deep space, this docking maneuver and refueling process will be repeated multiple times.
SpaceX is developing larger versions of Starship to haul heavier cargo and more fuel into orbit. These upgraded Starships should reduce the number of tankers needed to load a Starship heading for the Moon or Mars. "We’re going to have to do the prop transfer flights more than once or twice or three times," says NASA's Lisa Watson-Morgan.
