There are some hurdles that the company must first overcome.
It's better to act sooner than later
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, hinted that Starship might be ready to land astronauts at the Moon before the 2024 launch date.
Musk responded to a tweet asking Tesla CEO if the super-heavy-lift launch vehicle would be ready to take astronauts to the moon by 2024. He replied, "Probably sooner."
Elon Musk (@elonmusk), August 15, 2021.
Is He Right?
This might be just more of the Elon braggadocio that we all love and loathe, especially when you consider that SpaceX has a poor track record of meeting deadlines for launches and missions.
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Artemis will be a challenging mission and could require eight to sixteen launches to provide enough fuel for one trip to the Moon. NASA's inspector general released a report recently stating that a lunar landing by 2024 is unlikely due to delays in spacesuit design.
There are some signs that things may be on the right track. One example is that SpaceX recently placed Starship on top of the Super Heavy booster, making it the biggest rocket ever. They are still waiting for the FAA to review their environmental plan before they launch their first orbital test flight. Starship could be in orbit by the fall, so there is a good chance.
Fox Business reports that NASA paid $300 million to SpaceX recently for its $3 billion project. The agency has no doubt that Musk's company will succeed.
It is best to be realistic about the launch dates of big, complex missions such as Artemis. It will all get done eventually and it is best to not rush things, even if you want Blue Origin to be launched (looking at Elon).
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READ MORE: SpaceX boss Elon Musso says Starship will land humans in the moon sooner than 2024 [Fox Business]
More Musk: Elon Musk: Every Starship Could Travel To Mars a Dozen Times
