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Will SpaceX hold up NASA's Artemis Missions? · Elon Musk Podcast

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  Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast.
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  Today we have an especially pertinent topic as NASA moves
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  into the next phase of its Artemis program, planning to put
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  the first humans back on the moon since the legendary Apollo
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  missions in the 60s and 70s. And we'll be discussing how
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  Spacex's Starship program is becoming increasingly crucial
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  for NASA's lunar plants. Will unpack NASA's recent press
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  conference with the Artemis 2 Astronauts and dig into the
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  challenges and milestones for the Artemis program and explore
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  the pivotal roles the SpaceX and it's Starship spacecraft play in
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  this monumental endeavor. But before we dive into the meat
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  and potatoes of this episode, I'm going to tell you the show
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  is brought to you by Starship shirts.com.
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  Get your hands on some awesome gear today and go to
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  starshipshirts.com now. NASA held an in person press
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  conference with the astronauts for the Artemis 2 mission which
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  aims to launch in November of 2024, and the conference
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  provided A plethora of updates on the missions, objectives,
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  timelines and interestingly, the integration of Spacex's Starship
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  as a key component in future lunar missions such as the
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  Artemis 3 mission. Now.
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  NASA's administrator, Bill Nelson underscored the
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  importance of the Artemis program as a stepping stone for
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  even more ambitious ventures such as Mars missions, and to
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  highlight the strategy as NASA's partnership with SpaceX
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  specifically contracted the space company to provide the
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  lunar Lander that will act as the first astronaut base on the
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  moon. Now, Artemis 2 itself will be a
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  critical test flight that carries 4.
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  Astronauts, however, is essential to note that they will
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  not actually land on the surface of the Moon.
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  The Orion spacecraft is primarily a transit vehicle
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  designed to dock either with SpaceX, a Starship lunar Lander,
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  or the Gateway Lunar Space Station.
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  Now, NASA's Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy clarified the
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  mission's pivotal role in laying the groundwork for the
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  succeeding steps in the Artemis program.
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  Now, during the Artemis 1 mission, NASA performed A slew
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  of tests on the Orion spacecraft, covering aspects
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  like power generation, cooling systems, and electrical
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  circuits. And while most tests were
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  successful, certain irregularities were noticed in
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  the spacecraft's heat shield, requiring further investigation.
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  Reed Weissman, the mission commander for Artemis 2,
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  highlighted that astronaut safety is a primary concern for
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  the mission, and any hiccups in the spacecraft performance
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  before setting a trajectory for the moon could trigger a mission
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  abort, bringing the crew safely back down to the surface of the
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  Earth and looking beyond Artemis 2.
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  The Artemis 3 mission is scheduled to land astronauts on
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  the moon by December of 2025. Now, the feasibility of this
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  timeline is closely tied to Spacex's ability to successful
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  launch Starship multiple times, proving its reliability and its
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  performance. And SpaceX must also demonstrate
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  its capability for orbital refueling, a necessary step for
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  sending the second stage Starship to the Moon.
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  And NASA officials recently visited Spacex's starbase to
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  scrutinize their progress and discuss future milestones,
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  including plans for propellant demonstration and an uncrewed
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  test flight. Now, this visit served to bridge
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  communication gaps and align both teams more closely.
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  And SpaceX is building a specific lunar variant for the
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  Artemis 3 mission. And after the pivotal Artemis 2
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  mission, which we've already discussed about, now the next
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  major milestone on NASA's road map is Artemis 3, and this is
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  for December of 2025. Artemis isn't just another
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  mission though. It aims to be the mission that
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  will return astronauts to the lunar surface, but they're doing
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  it in a 150 foot tall rocket. This is monumental.
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  We're talking about putting humans on the moon for the first
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  time since 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission brought Eugene Cernan
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  and Harrison Smith back to Earth.
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  Now the spotlight is on Starship as it takes on an unprecedented
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  role. Then contrast to Artemis 2,
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  which primarily serves as a trial run for the equipment and
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  protocols involved in a lunar journey.
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  Artemis 3 has the objective of actually landing these
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  astronauts on the Moon, and the mission success is tied
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  intricately to the capabilities of the Starship Lunar Lander,
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  which is designed to safely ferry astronauts from lunar
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  orbit to the surface and back in, The intricacies of the
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  Starship Lander will be under intense scrutiny.
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  For instance, the Lander will have to demonstrate advanced
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  propulsion systems to navigate the moon's low gravity
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  environment. It also must be equipped with
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  life support systems to sustain the astronauts during their stay
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  on the lunar surface, possibly lasting several days.
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  Moreover, the Lander must facilitate smooth ingress and
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  egress for astronauts who will be in bulky spacesuits, a
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  feature that cannot be overlooked.
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  Additionally, orbital refueling presents another set of
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  challenges. SpaceX needs to prove not just
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  to NASA, but to the whole space faring world, that Starship can
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  be reliably refueled in Earth's orbit before making the journey
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  to the moon. This involves developing new
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  technology to transferring fuel in the vacuum of space, A
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  procedure that has its own set of complexities.
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  And failure to do so could result in delays that could push
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  the mission past its planned date, which is why NASA is
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  paying such close attention to Spacex's progress in this area.
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  But let's not forget, landing astronauts on the moon is only
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  part of the mission. Getting them safely back is
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  equally critical. Now.
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  This means the Starship Lunar Lander will also have to
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  rendezvous back with the Orion spacecraft.
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  And where orbit and the intricacies involved in his
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  docking maneuver aren't trivial, as a single mistake could
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  jeopardize the entire mission and put the lives of the
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  astronauts at risk. Another layer to consider is
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  international collaboration. The Artemis Accords, which
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  outline A framework for international cooperation in
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  space exploration, are expected to play a significant role in
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  the Artemis 3 mission. NASA is encouraging
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  international partners to contribute to the mission, be it
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  through providing additional technologies, conducting joint
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  experiments, or sharing logistical responsibilities and
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  all these aspects. And for the complexity and also
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  diplomatic nuance to the missions, planning and
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  execution. And in the backdrop of all this,
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  NASA's administrative machinery is also hard at work.
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  They're juggling budget considerations and constraints,
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  timelines and partnerships with other contractors and suppliers.
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  The planning is fluid and the flexibility to adapt as crucial
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  as they await regular updates from SpaceX and assess the
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  readiness levels of the technology, the astronauts, and
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  the mission as a whole. And to say that the Artemis 3
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  mission is complex would be a huge understatements.
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  It's colossal undertaking as a cascade of implications not just
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  for NASA and SpaceX, but for humanity's reach into space.
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  And when asked about the definite dates for the Artemis 3
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  mission, NASA remains somewhat elusive, emphasizing the need
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  for realistic scheduling and an adequate margin for unseen
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  challenges. Now, with rigorous testing
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  ongoing, including heat shield tests at NASA's Ames Facility,
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  NASA seems to be leaving no stone unturned in their quest to
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  return humans to the moon, to Mars and beyond.
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  of yourselves and each other, and I'll see you in the next
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  one.