NASA confirms Starship variant for Artemis lunar lander despite recent SpaceX test failure

NASA has confirmed that a variant of SpaceX's Starship upper stage will serve as the lunar lander for its Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the Moon.

This announcement comes despite a recent Starship test flight failure, where fuel leaks caused the upper stage to spin uncontrollably during re-entry, resulting in a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." The first-stage Super Heavy booster also exploded shortly before splashdown.

"Fuel leaks on the upper-stage vehicle caused it to spin uncontrollably before its planned re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, ending with a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly.'"

The Starship upper stage was carrying eight Starlink simulator satellites intended to validate the vehicle for future satellite launches and deep space missions, but it was unable to fully open its payload bay door, preventing deployment.

Despite the setback, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed optimism, stating, "Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight!" Since the failure, SpaceX engineers have conducted extensive testing and implemented multiple upgrades to reduce the risk of similar issues.

NASA's decision underscores confidence in Starship's potential as a versatile spacecraft capable of supporting deep space exploration. The Artemis program's lunar lander variant will be critical in achieving NASA's goal of sustainable lunar presence and eventual human missions to Mars.

The recent test failure also caused disruptions on Earth, with the US Federal Aviation Administration diverting flights and halting departures at four Florida airports due to falling debris.

As SpaceX continues refining Starship, the collaboration with NASA highlights the growing role of commercial partners in advancing space exploration.

"NASA plans to use a variant of the Starship upper stage as a lunar lander in the agency's Artemis program."

"Since then, SpaceX engineers have carried out extensive testing and implemented multiple upgrades and improvements to minimize the chances for similar failures."

NASA confirmed it will use a variant of SpaceX's Starship as the lunar lander for its Artemis program despite a recent test flight failure. The Starship upper stage suffered fuel leaks and a spin leading to a catastrophic breakup, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk highlighted improvements and ongoing upgrades.