SpaceX’s Troubled Starship Test Yesterday Is Looking Ominous for NASA’s Moon Landing

On Monday, SpaceX’s Starship embarked on its 14th flight test, successfully reaching orbit for the first time since its launch from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. However, the rocket’s ten-hour mission was cut short after just three hours due to an engine failure. The spacecraft made a belly-flop landing in the Pacific Ocean and subsequently exploded in a fireball moments after touching down.

While the cause of the propulsion malfunction remains unclear, experts are concerned that it may signal a deeper issue with the rocket’s design, potentially jeopardizing NASA’s 2028 mission, Artemis IV, which aims to land humans on the Moon for the first time in over half a century using the spacecraft. The test flight marked a significant achievement for SpaceX, as the company successfully deployed 26 functional next-gen Starlink satellites and landed its lower stage booster in the Gulf of Mexico.

However, this milestone comes years later than initially promised; Musk had initially expected Starship to achieve satellite deployments by 2023. During the flight, two of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster failed: one on the ascent and one on the descent. Additionally, one engine malfunctioned on the Starship upper stage during its ascent, forcing the remaining engines to work harder.

In an effort to avoid potential catastrophic failures, SpaceX decided to abort deploying the upper stage into orbit after the payload deployment, bringing the spacecraft home early. This singular engine failure could be a one-off issue or a sign of a more significant design problem that may require fleet-wide overhauls, which could further delay SpaceX's timeline, particularly with the looming Artemis lunar missions.

SpaceX's fate hinges on the successful operation of Starship, as it needs the rocket to replenish its Starlink constellations, its only profitable venture. However, the real pressure lies in the Artemis III mission, which will act as a rehearsal for the Moon landing by having astronauts circle the Earth for two weeks and perform docking maneuvers in orbit.

This mission is scheduled for the summer of 2027. While a single engine failure might seem inconsequential, it underscores the race against time for SpaceX, as each setback could culminate in a humiliating delay for the US's space program.