Statement by Sean Duffy, made to Fox News the day before, indicated that NASA would be seeking new proposals for the Artemis 3 lunar mission
The executive director of , used his social network [um trocadilho com o sobrenome Duffy e ‘dummy’, que significa idiota em inglês]is trying to destroy NASA!”, wrote the billionaire, referring to the Trump administration’s Secretary of Transportation and currently provisionally responsible for the agency.
Duffy’s statement, made to Fox News the day before, indicated that NASA would be seeking new proposals for the Artemis 3 lunar mission, which aims to take American astronauts back to the Moon. The initiative would be a response to SpaceX’s delays in the development of its Starship rocket, designed to serve as a lunar module.
“I love SpaceX. It’s an incredible company. The problem is that they are late. They missed deadlines and we are in a race with China”, explained Duffy, justifying the search for alternatives. Experts have warned that the modified version of Starship will not be ready within the scheduled schedule for Artemis 3.
Musk, in turn, defended himself on X, stating that Starship “will end up carrying out the entire lunar mission” and that SpaceX “is advancing like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry”. NASA plans the Artemis 3 mission for mid-2027, but that goal is widely considered unfeasible by experts given the technical complexities that SpaceX has yet to overcome. Meanwhile, China has ambitious plans to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2030, intensifying the space race. In parallel, NASA is evaluating the possibility of turning to other companies, such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, to guarantee a lunar module within the deadline.
*With information from AFP
