Overview
- Acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened the Human Landing System contract and said SpaceX is behind schedule in a race with China to return astronauts to the lunar surface.
- SpaceX issued a detailed update defending Starship and said it is assessing a simplified mission architecture to accelerate crewed lunar return.
- The company targets 2026 for two key demonstrations: a long-duration orbital Starship flight and an Earth-orbit ship-to-ship propellant transfer test.
- SpaceX says it has begun fabricating a flight-capable Starship cabin with avionics, life-support, communications, and thermal control for system testing and crew training.
- Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin proposed alternative lunar landers designed to reduce or avoid orbital refueling, though any new program would face multi-year development and funding challenges.