Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / SpaceX slow Starship development postpones NASA Artemis 3 Moon Mission

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SpaceX slow Starship development postpones NASA Artemis 3 Moon Mission · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
• 0:05
  This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, the
• 0:08
  Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.
• 0:13
  I'm your host, Will Walden. Today's episode is about NASA
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  and SpaceX and the Artemis 3 mission.
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  Now the Government Accountability Office.
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  The GAO has released a report indicating that NASA's highly
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  anticipated Artemis 3 moon landing, originally scheduled
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  for late 2025, is likely to be postponed until at least 2027.
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  This delay is attributed to slower than expected progress in
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  the development of both the human landing system, the
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  Starship, and new lunar space suits by Axiom Space.
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  The report, released on November 30th, provides A comprehensive
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  analysis of the challenges and the setbacks that have impacted
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  the Artemis program cornerstone of NASA's efforts to return
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  humans to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
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  Now, the GAO's findings highlight several critical
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  issues with the HLS development under SpaceX.
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  The report notes that the project has encountered various
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  challenges, including a condensed timeline, delayed
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  development milestones, and extensive technical work still
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  required. The report suggests that the
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  pace of progress on HLS is slower than expected, but more
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  than half the allocated schedule will consume just to reach the
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  preliminary design review phase. This lag contrasts with the
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  average progression rate for major NASA projects, which
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  typically complete the phase within 35% of their overall
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  timelines. And a crucial aspect of Spacex's
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  HLS program is the Starship lunar Lander.
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  Despite the company's efforts, the GAO report points out that
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  SpaceX has had to postpone several key events from 2023 to
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  2024, further compressing the already tight schedule.
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  Technical bilestones yet to be achieved include the validation
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  of Starship Super Heavies, Raptor engine performance, and
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  demonstrating the ability to transfer cryogenic propellant in
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  space. The latter is a prerequisite for
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  the critical design review of the Starship Lander.
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  NASA officials, while acknowledging these challenges,
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  have not disclosed specific details regarding the revised
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  schedule of HLS development submitted by SpaceX.
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  Jimfrey, NASA's associate administrator for Exploration
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  systems development, emphasized that the interconnectedness of
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  the Landers development with other elements of the Artemis
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  program during a meeting of the NASA Advisory Council's Human
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  Exploration and Operations Committee.
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  The GAO report also sheds light on the development of lunar
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  space suits by Axiom Space. The report flags potential
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  delays in this area, noting that Axiom is still in the early
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  stages of suit development, with a preliminary design review
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  scheduled for November. Challenges include redesigning
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  parts of the suit to meet NASA's requirements for emergency life
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  support capabilities in dealing with supply chain issues that
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  could extend lead times for critical components.
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  GAO's analysis underscores the ambitious nature of the Artemis
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  3 mission schedule. The HLS program aims to complete
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  its development in 79 months, 13 months less than the average for
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  NASA major projects. Now, this condensed timeline,
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  combined with the complexity of human spaceflight, presents
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  significant hurdles going forward.
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  The report reveals that as of September of 2023, the HLS
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  program had delayed 8 of 13 key events by at least six months,
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  including critical tests that were postponed due to technical
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  issues. And the challenges facing
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  Spacex's development of the HLS include the need for advanced
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  technical capabilities like in orbit, propellant, storage, and
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  transfer. Similarly, Axiom's effort to
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  develop modernized space suits based on NASA's design faces its
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  own set of design and development challenges.
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  In response to these challenges, NASA has implemented additional
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  processes to ensure that space XS and Axiom spaces designs and
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  systems meet mission requirements and maintain crew
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  safety. This includes supplemental
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  processes for System Validation and Insight clauses and
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  contracts to maintain visibility into the contractor's
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  development work. The GAO report is part of an
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  ongoing assessment of NASA's Artemis program mandated by the
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  House report provision. It aims to evaluate the progress
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  in developing key systems for the Artemis 3 moon mission and
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  to ensure that these systems will fulfill NASA's needs and
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  uphold safety standards. This potential delay in the
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  Artemis 3 mission represents a significant shift in NASA's
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  timeline for returning humans to the Moon.
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  The Artemis program, which is integral to maintaining US
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  leadership and space exploration and preparing for future
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  missions to Mars, now faces the challenge of overcoming these
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  development hurdles to achieve its historic objectives.
• 4:54
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• 4:56
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