SpaceX will attempt to transfer propellant from one orbiting spacecraft to another as early as March of next year, a technological milestone that could pave the way for a demonstration of an unmanned landing of a spacecraft on the Moon, NASA officials said this week.
There’s been a lot of talk about Starship’s potential to transform the commercial space industry, but NASA is also pinning its hopes that the spacecraft will return humans to the moon under the Artemis program. The space agency has awarded the company a $4.05 billion contract for two human-rated Starship vehicles with upper stages (also known as Starships) that will land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era. A manned landing is currently scheduled for September 2026.
Kent Chojnacki, deputy administrator for NASA’s Human Landing System program, detailed in an interview with Spaceflight Now how NASA is collaborating with space companies as it moves toward important missions. It’s no surprise that NASA is paying close attention to Starship’s test campaign, which has recorded five launches to date.
SpaceX made history during its most recent test on October 13, when it captured a Super Heavy rocket booster in the air for the first time using a “chopstick” attached to the launch pad.
“Every time (a launch) happens, we learn a lot,” Chojnacki said.
Chojnacki’s work history includes numerous roles in the Space Launch System program, overseeing the development of the massive rocket of the same name being built by a small group of traditional aerospace experts. The first SLS rocket launched the Artemis I mission in December 2023, and future rockets will launch follow-up missions under the Artemis program. But since no part of the rocket is reusable, NASA is spending more than $2 billion on each launch vehicle.
The first contract for the SLS program was awarded more than a decade ago under a “cost-plus” model, meaning NASA would pay a base amount plus costs. (These types of contracts have been harshly criticized for encouraging long development timelines and high costs.) In contrast, the HLS contract is a “fixed price,” meaning SpaceX will receive a one-time payment of $2.99 billion if certain milestones are met. You get paid.
Chojnacki said NASA has taken very different approaches to its HLS versus SLS programs, even beyond the contracting model.
“SLS was a very traditional NASA program. NASA laid out very stringent requirements, dictated the propellant inventory, dictated everything about the various elements. They flowed downward. “This was a cost-plus program that an aerospace company could respond to and we would work in a very traditional way,” he said. “With the move to HLS, we are doing many moving parts at once. SpaceX’s current contract has 27 system requirements for initial landing. 27, we kept it as loose as possible.”
SpaceX’s contract requires that required design reviews be met, but SpaceX may propose additional milestones for payment. One of the requirements requested by SpaceX is the demonstration of ship-to-ship propellant transfer. These tests are expected to begin around March 2025 and be completed by the summer, Chojnacki said.
“It’s the first time it’s been demonstrated at this scale, so it’s a big component. Once we do that, it opens up the opportunity to move enormous amounts of payload and cargo off-Earth. “If we could have a Starship with a propellant conglomerate, that would be the next step for unmanned demonstration.”
Besides testing, Starship’s next major review will be the Critical Design Review (CDR) in summer 2025. At this time, NASA certifies that the company has met all 27 of its system requirements. Chojnacki said NASA astronauts meet with SpaceX once a month to provide information about the interior of Starship. The company is building a mock-up of the crew cabin, including bedrooms and a laboratory, in Boca Chica. NASA expects to receive a design update this month before reviewing it in CDR next year.
NASA isn’t the only place to provide input. Not only did they provide input on some aspects of the rocket’s design, such as the vehicle’s cryogenic components, but they also performed some testing on thermal tiles that help keep the cryogenic fuel cold.
If all goes according to plan, SpaceX will land astronauts on the moon in September 2026.
“That’s definitely the date we’re targeting. There are no known road blocks. We have a few things we need to demonstrate for the first time and we plan to demonstrate them.
