Given the amount of work required to prepare the spacecraft, NASA worries that SpaceX’s version of Starship won’t be ready to land on the moon in time for the Artemis 3 mission in late 2025.

Speaking at the joint meeting of the National Academies’ Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Space Research Council on June 7, NASA’s deputy director of research systems development Jim Free said Artemis 3 will be the first human to set foot on the moon in more than 100 years. For half a century, it was in danger of being delayed from December 2025 to 2026.

Frei said NASA’s concern is the number of Starship launches SpaceX must perform to be ready for Artemis 3. goes to the moon. Prior to Artemis 3, SpaceX will land an uncrewed Starship on the Moon and also demonstrate the transfer of cryogenic fluid in Earth orbit.

“There are so many launches to accomplish these tasks,” Free said. “There are a lot of launches ahead and that definitely worries me about the December 2025 date” for Artemis 3.

Later in the meeting, he reiterated his concerns about the program when asked about Artemis 3’s schedule. “Given the challenges SpaceX is facing, I think this is a real concern,” he said. “You might think he’s probably going to the 26th.”

He didn’t elaborate on the “challenges” SpaceX is facing, but the company’s Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle is now on the ground after its first complex launch on April 20. During the flight, the aircraft suffered several engine failures and was destroyed by the flight termination system four minutes after takeoff.

NASA has personnel involved in the launch investigation, and Freeh said he spoke to an official with the Federal Aviation Administration about the issue. “They’re doing their best, but they’re looking at the launch license for the next mission,” he said of the FAA. “What I was trying to convey to him was the big picture of all that had to be done to achieve that human descent.”

Neither the FAA nor SpaceX has publicly disclosed the status of this investigation or when the company may be authorized to attempt a relaunch. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company could be ready in “a few months” during an online discussion on April 29, but that timeline seems highly unlikely based on visible progress at the company’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas.

Regarding the development of the Starship version of the lunar lander, Free said SpaceX and NASA are delaying critical review of the vehicle’s design until the company performs a cryogenic refueling demonstration in Earth orbit. Last week, the company provided NASA with an updated schedule that it hasn’t disclosed the details of, which the agency is reviewing.

“‘Are you coming on a date?’ Well, they have to fly before they can take any assessment,” he concluded.

He said he was confident SpaceX would eventually deliver the Starship lander, noting that the fixed-price nature of the Human Landing System award protected NASA from additional costs. “But the point is, if they don’t fly then, there’s no benefit to us on a fixed price contract other than not paying more.”