SpaceX’s Starship Is So Big NASA Is Worried It’ll Affect Lunar Space Station’s Orbit

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SpaceX's Starship lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program might be too big to comfortably dock with the space agency's planned lunar space station, according to a fresh report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO undertook a study of the space station's mass constraints, and it concluded that two of its primary components, namely the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO) and the power and propulsion element (PPE), had a combined mass that was greater than their target. It was also found that the PPE might be unable to correctly steer the vehicle in case large vehicles such as SpaceX's Starship dock are on it since even though the PPE meets the performance requirements set by NASA, these do not consider the larger vehicles.

NASA Estimates That Starship's Mass Is 18x Greater Than Value Used To Develop Gateway Lunar Space Stations PPE

NASA currently has to launch its lunar space station, called Gateway, by 2027 or before the Artemis IV mission take to the skies. Artemis IV is planned to be the second crewed lunar landing flight of the Artemis program, and as of now, the mission is slated to take off in September 2028. The Gateway has to be in lunar orbit a year before Artemis IV's launch so that NASA can evaluate the space station and ensure all systems are in working order before a crew can board it.

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According to the GAO, NASA's current baseline capability for Gateway's launch is December 2027, which is three months behind schedule. NASA plans to update its current cost and confidence level for Gateway in September this year to decide whether launching Artemis IV in September 2028 will allow it to meet all of the mission's objectives. The previous such analysis was carried out in May last year, and since