SpaceX Starship completes key test flight, previously questioned by NASA advisors on whether its 2027 lunar landing plan can be achieved.

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SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully completed its eleventh test flight. This most powerful rocket in history aimed to verify its ability to deploy satellites and return safely to Earth in this crucial flight test, which is vital for NASA’s lunar program and Musk’s grander space ambitions.

At 6:24 p.m. U.S. time on Monday, the launch system—comprising the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft—roared into the sky from SpaceX’s Starbase in South Texas. This launch is a key step for Musk in fulfilling a contract with NASA worth about $4 billion, aimed at transporting astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2027.

The goal of this mission is to repeat and surpass the test flight results from August, when Starship successfully deployed a test satellite and essentially returned intact to Earth. During Monday’s flight, a few minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft separated smoothly, ignited engines to adjust attitude, and ultimately splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico as planned.

Although this launch made progress, SpaceX has recently faced criticism over the substantial work remaining in Starship’s development. Before sending astronauts to the Moon, SpaceX must overcome several new technological challenges, especially orbital refueling capabilities, which places its tight delivery schedule under heavy pressure.

Back in September, NASA advisors said that the crewed landing system version of Starship might not be able to support the 2027 lunar mission as planned.

Lunar Ambitions and Harsh Challenges

Although Musk’s ultimate goal is to establish a settlement on Mars, the immediate commercial value and strategic significance of Starship are more directly reflected in its contract with NASA.

SpaceX holds a contract with NASA worth about $4 billion to modify Starship as a lunar lander, supporting the “Artemis 3” crewed lunar landing mission as early as 2027.

However, the task list for SpaceX to achieve this goal remains formidable.

The company must master and demonstrate several unprecedented technologies, with the most critical being in-orbit refueling capability, as well as the ability to conduct around a dozen or more consecutive launches. Considering that Starship has not yet completed a full orbital mission, these technical challenges are especially severe.

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell also recently remarked that propellant transfer worries her more than orbital docking.

With a significant amount of work yet to be done, critics have publicly questioned whether SpaceX can complete the mission before the 2027 deadline.

Schedule Under Pressure, NASA Advisors Voice Doubts

According to media reports in September, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel publicly expressed doubts, believing the crewed landing system version of Starship may not be able to support the 2027 lunar mission as scheduled.

Panel member Paul Hill stated at a public meeting, according to their assessment, the crewed landing system for the Artemis 3 mission “could be delayed by several years.”

This conclusion came after he and panel members Charlie Precourt and Kent Rominger visited the SpaceX base last month and met with company executives.

Hill pointed out, a key obstacle is validation of the cryogenic propellant transfer technology, a crucial step for Starship to refuel in low Earth orbit before heading to the Moon.

He revealed, progress on this work has been hindered partly because development of the first Starship capable of that function (version 3.0) has been delayed and improvements to its Raptor engine are not yet complete.

Another panel member, Bill Bray, expressed broader concerns about the overall outlook for the Artemis program. He believes the schedule for developing the crewed landing system and new lunar spacesuits for the mission is “overly ambitious.” He emphasized:

If any of these projects experience delays in their delivery phase, it could put the original schedule for the lunar mission at risk—or even result in significant postponements.

The advisory panel said it will continue to review the Starship crewed landing system project at future meetings.

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