Starship may chauffeur Orion to the Moon, as NASA mulls ditching SLS after Artemis V
Summary
NASA is reportedly considering a plan in which the Orion capsule launches on the Space Launch System (SLS) to Low Earth Orbit, then rendezvouses with SpaceX’s Starship which would carry the crew onward to lunar orbit. The change would take effect after Artemis V and could sharply reduce the SLS’s role — possibly ending its use for crewed lunar missions — even as Orion remains essential for re-entry and crew safety.
Key Points
- Proposal: Orion would launch on SLS to LEO, meet Starship, and ride Starship to lunar orbit starting after Artemis V.
- The move reflects political, budgetary and scheduling pressure on the Artemis programme and NASA’s new administration priorities.
- SLS has flown once uncrewed but is over budget and delayed; using it only as a LEO ferry or retiring it would reduce its mission profile.
- Starship is not yet orbital and lacks a crew escape system and lunar-return re‑entry rating, so Orion remains required regardless of launcher.
- Alternatives such as Blue Origin’s New Glenn exist, but congressional approval and technical hurdles make change uncertain.
Content Summary
According to reporting first published by Bloomberg, NASA managers are weighing a significant change to Artemis operations: rather than SLS carrying Orion all the way to lunar orbit, Orion would be lofted to Low Earth Orbit on SLS, then dock with SpaceX’s Starship which would transport the crew to the Moon. The shift would likely begin after Artemis V.
The proposal stems from a mix of factors: SLS’s high costs and schedule slips, a NASA administrator keen to boost flight cadence, and the prospect that Starship — once proven orbital and human-rated — could offer a lower‑cost, higher‑capacity way to reach lunar orbit. Still, technical and political obstacles remain. Starship has not yet reached Earth orbit; it lacks a crew escape system and is not rated for lunar-return re‑entry velocities, meaning Orion would still handle crew survival and re-entry.
Reducing SLS’s role or retiring it after Artemis V would be a major blow to Boeing, the prime contractor on the core stage. Congress, budget constraints and certification timelines will be decisive. If Starship proves orbital in 2026 and is further developed, it could be ready for a lunar support role by the 2028 timeframe referenced for Artemis IV/V.
Context and Relevance
This story matters because it signals a potential pivot in how the United States returns people to the Moon — shifting from a government-developed heavy launcher to commercial heavy-lift solutions. That affects contractors, congressional funding decisions, international partners (given Orion’s European Service Module), and overall Artemis scheduling. It also reflects broader industry trends toward commercialisation of deep-space transport.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you care about who builds rockets, who gets the contracts, or how quickly humans get back to the Moon, this could change everything. It’s the kind of behind‑the‑scenes policy-and-technical shift that reshuffles winners and losers — and could speed up or stall Artemis depending on how politics and tests go. Worth five minutes of your time.
Author style
Punchy. The piece flags a potentially big change and why it matters — budgets, politics and testing all collide here. If you follow space policy or aerospace industry news, read the detail.