Starship’s Launch Might Delay NASA’s Artemis III Mission
The destruction of the Starship during its orbit into space may have been considered a success by Elon Musk, but the aftermath of SpaceX’s first launch of their next-generation rocket left more than just a damaged launch pad in its wake.
If you haven’t been following NASA and SpaceX’s ongoing spaceflight efforts, you may not know that NASA plans to use the Starship, the largest rocket ever created, to replace their costly Space Launch System (SLS). While the SLS has been successful for the Artemis I mission and will continue to be the rocket for the Artemis II mission, it isn’t designed to deliver what NASA needs for its return to the Moon during Artemis III. Instead, NASA intended to use the Starship to land on the Moon. However, after the damage caused by the Starship’s liftoff last week, Artemis III could face a significant delay.
Although NASA has not yet given Artemis III a final launch date, they were aiming to launch the mission sometime in 2025. However, with the delay caused by the damage to the launchpad, it may take SpaceX several months to set up another test. This delay could also push back Artemis III’s launch, which is somewhat disappointing. However, the Artemis III mission is enormous, and its goals are significant for the future of space exploration as a whole. Additionally, the Starship is a vital part of SpaceX’s plan to send humans to other planets.
Despite the damage caused to the launchpad, the progress made during the first launch attempt is still a success. While it is not complete, it is a step towards the end goal. Furthermore, the damage to the launchpad informs SpaceX on how to better prepare for the powerful boosters lifting the rocket into flight. Hopefully, the engineers working on the repairs can find a way to redirect the destruction away from the launchpad to avoid leaving such a mess next time.
Dawn N. McCoy is from San Diego and has always been interested in amazing new things and that led her to geekdom. Dawn researches and reports on medical advances. She also enjoys her scooter and Youtube .
