Taskin Padir, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Northeastern University and robotics expert, says the space agency’s growing reliance on industry partners is a logical progression.
With a target of heading back to the moon by mid-2027, NASA is betting big on its multibillion-dollar public-private partnership with SpaceX, the Texas-based rocketmaker helmed by technology billionaire Elon Musk.
However, technical challenges could threaten the launch service provider’s ability to meet the U.S. space agency’s ambitious deadline.
Last week, the company successfully launched its 11th test flight for Version 2, or V2, of its Super Heavy Starship. The next step is the testing of Starship V3, which will be used for testing of “orbital flights, operational payload missions [and] propellant transfer.
That’s welcome news for NASA, which plans to use the rocket as part of its mission to send astronauts back to the moon to explore its southern poles. Scientists believe that icy water lies just below that area’s surface, which would be key in developing long-term lunar settlements as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
By Cesareo Contreras.