Citing delays, acting NASA chief Sean Duffy announced that the Artemis Program – NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the Moon – needs to be shaken up again. The announcement came on Monday (Oct. 22nd) when Duffy, also the Secretary of Transportation, made two television appearances to discuss ongoing problems with the program. This included the development of the Starship Human Landing System (HLS), the lunar lander that will transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface, which NASA contracted to SpaceX in 2021.
In addition, Duffy intimated that NASA’s current timeline for Artemis III (scheduled for 2027) is no longer tenable. To this end, he said that NASA will expand the competition to develop an HLS system that will land astronauts on the lunar surface and return them to orbit. This latest announcement comes on the heels of budget cuts, mass layoffs, and shifting priorities, all of which were summarized in the White House’s FY 2026 Budget Request. The main priority this document stressed was the need to “beat the Chinese to the Moon,” who are currently planning on landing taikonauts no sooner than 2030.
Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Duffy emphasized how the proposed shakeup is all about meeting this priority:
We’re on track for Artemis two, right? That’s again, out to the Moon and back. But Artemis three is when we land back on the Moon, that’s gonna be about a year and a half, two years from now. SpaceX has the contract… but they’re behind schedule. And so the President wants to make sure we beat the Chinese. He wants to get there on his terms. So I’m in the process of opening that contract up.
I think we’ll see companies like Blue [Origin] get involved, and maybe others. We’re gonna have a space race in regard to American companies competing to see who can actually get us back to the Moon first. But, I feel pretty confident with this competition, we’re gonna beat the Chinese and do it in President Trump’s term, so before [January 2029].
*Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy speaking at a press briefing before the launch of the Crew 11 mission. Credit: NASA*
SpaceX and Blue Origin
Blue Origin is already contracted through the Artemis Program to provide landing services (using their Blue Moon lander). This includes the Artemis V and Artemis VI missions, currently scheduled for March 2030 and March 2031 (respectively). Meanwhile, SpaceX is contractually obligated to provide landing services for Artemis III – the long-awaited return to the Moon – by mid-2027, followed by Artemis VI in September 2028. However, out of eleven total orbital test flights, the Starship prototypes exploded or were lost in orbit.
In several cases, the Starship’s engines experienced premature shutdowns due to propellant leaks, leading to a loss of control and telemetry. In addition, the Starship has been plagued by performance issues with its engines and payload capacity – the amount of mass it can deliver to space. As it stands, the company maintains that the fully-reusable Starship will be capable of delivering 100 to 150 metric tons (110 to 165 US tons) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
In a recent statement, Musk suggested that the current version of Starship (V2) would have a capacity of about 35–50 tonnes to LEO. He also stated that the fully-reusable V3, intended to launch sometime next year, will achieve over 100 metric tons. Assuming the V3 can deliver on this promise, it will still need to be validated for crewed missions, which will include a successful demonstration flight. This will consist of the vehicle launching to orbit, refueling with a tanker, landing on the lunar surface, and then returning to lunar orbit.
While the company hoped to achieve this milestone by 2026, they are far from delivering. The main issue is orbital refueling, which requires transferring cryogenic propellants in LEO—a major challenge that has never been attempted before. While SpaceX has successfully demonstrated an internal propellant transfer during Flight Test 3, they are a long way from fully refueling Starships in orbit. In a November 2024 statement, Musk claimed they planned to conduct an orbital refueling demonstration by March 2025, but delays have pushed the date back indefinitely.
“And Maybe Others”
As Eric Berger of Ars Technica stated in a recent article, Duffy’s remarks may be alluding to two possible alternatives for achieving a crew-certified lunar lander if SpaceX can’t deliver. This could include Blue Origin’s plan to use multiple Mark 1 Blue Moon landers (a smaller uncrewed version of the vehicle) to deliver cargo and crew to the lunar surface. This vehicle was originally designed to deliver cargo in support of lunar missions, and to be launched using the company’s New Glenn rocket, which was successfully launch-tested earlier this year.
However, government sources recently reported that the company is developing a modified version of the vehicle that could deliver crews to the Moon as well. Another possibility, says Berger, is that NASA could develop a lunar lander (similar to the Apollo Lunar Module) that would be ready for launch in two and a half years. “In recent weeks, officials from traditional space companies have been telling Duffy and the chief of staff at the Department of Transportation, Pete Meachum, that they can build an Apollo Lunar Module-like lander within 30 months,” he wrote. “Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator, favors this government-led approach, sources said.
Lockheed Martin, which is responsible for providing NASA’s Orion spacecraft, also recently announced that it is ready to provide an HLS system if necessary. As Bob Behnken, a former NASA astronaut and the vice president of Exploration and Technology Strategy at Lockheed Martin Space, said in a recent statement:
Throughout this year, Lockheed Martin has been performing significant technical and programmatic analysis for human lunar landers that would provide options to NASA for a safe solution to return humans to the Moon as quickly as possible. We have been working with a cross-industry team of companies, and together we are looking forward to addressing Secretary Duffy’s request to meet our country’s lunar objectives.
Musk, in response to Duffy’s statement, seemed undeterred and even welcomed the competition. As he posted on X, “SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry. Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words.”
*Artist’s rendering of Blue Origin’s Mk. 1 Blue Moon lunar lander. Credit: Blue Origin*
Internal Politics?
According to multiple sources, this proposed shakeup could be more than just an attempt to accelerate the Artemis Program and may be motivated in part by internal politics. At present, the White House is reopening the nomination process for a permanent NASA Administrator, which could end up being Jared Isaacman after all. While Trump declared that Isaacman was his choice for the position in December 2024,, his nomination was pulled over the course of the summer.
But according to a recent report by Reuters, Isaacman is currently in talks to reclaim his nomination. Supposing that Isaacman is a serious contender for the role of Administrator (and his credentials certainly say as much). In that case, Berger suggests that Duffy may be initiating the shakeup because he’s angling for the position himself. Nevertheless, it is clear at this point that Duffy, NASA, and the current administration intend to press forward with Artemis and achieve a crewed lunar landing before China can. In response to Duffy’s remarks and repeated requests for details, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens reported that SpaceX and Blue Origin now have an Oct. 29th deadline for presenting “accelerated approaches” for lunar lander development:
NASA is also going to request plans from the entire commercial space industry – through an RFI (or Request for Information) – for how NASA can increase the cadence of our mission to the Moon. President Trump and Secretary Duffy have a mission to beat China back to the Moon. That’s why they are harnessing the power of the American space industry and seeking solutions to develop more ways to land on the Moon.
At this juncture, it is unclear which companies will participate in the competition. What is clear is that expanding the process to include more contenders will require additional funding. This will be challenging, as the FY 2026 Budget allocated $18.8 billion to NASA, a 25% reduction from 2025. The situation is further complicated by the government shutdown and the administration’s track record of cutting public-sector funding. However, given the current state of competition with China and Duffy’s declaration that a crewed lunar mission will happen before Trump’s second term is up, there may be efforts to loosen the purse strings!
Further Reading: Ars Technica, Reuters.