Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Former NASA administrator warns Starship-centered lunar lander architecture poses timing and technical risks
Summary
Jim Bridenstine told the Senate committee that current Artemis architecture depends on unproven, high-risk elements — most notably multiple in-space refueling cycles for SpaceX Starship — and that those dependencies could prevent the United States from being first to return astronauts to the lunar surface.
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told the Senate Commerce Committee the current human lunar-landing architecture relies on unproven and risky elements that could jeopardize a U.S. return to the lunar surface. Bridenstine described a sequence that depends on launching and refueling a Starship multiple times in orbit to create a fueling depot and then fueling a human-rated Starship for a lunar landing. "By the way, that whole in space refueling thing has never been tested either," he said, and noted the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
