{"id":30344,"date":"2026-09-29T16:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30344"},"modified":"2026-09-29T16:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:07:03","slug":"how-spacexs-latest-starship-engine-failure-could-affect-nasas-moon-mission-artemis-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30344","title":{"rendered":"How SpaceX\u2019s latest Starship engine failure could affect Nasa\u2019s Moon mission Artemis programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134570085,imgsize-42276,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg\" alt=\"How SpaceX\u2019s latest Starship engine failure could affect Nasa\u2019s Moon mission Artemis programme\" title=\"SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas.\">SpaceX&#8217;s mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>SpaceX\u2019s Starship engine failure during its latest uncrewed test flight could complicate NASA\u2019s plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2028, as the spacecraft is being developed as a lunar lander for the Artemis programme.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>The next-generation spacecraft completed several key objectives during its 14th test flight on Monday, including reaching orbit and deploying commercial satellites for the first time. However, the mission was cut short by several hours after one of its Raptor engines malfunctioned following separation from the lower-stage booster.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The failure has raised questions about the impact on Starship\u2019s development schedule. <!-- -->The spacecraft is one of two lunar landers being developed for NASA\u2019s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>The other lander is Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon. NASA has said it will use whichever vehicle is ready first for the mission.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>The latest engine issue is particularly important because the Starship lunar landing system will rely on the same propulsion technology to carry astronauts to and from the lunar surface.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>\u201cAny engine fix that holds up the next flights, including the planned attempt to catch the ship with the launch tower&#8217;s arms (after re-entry), eats into that schedule,\u201d said Dean Sladen, an aerospace engineer for Accu Components, according to Reuters.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>Sladen said the impact would depend on whether the malfunction was \u201ca one-off failure of a single part\u201d or pointed to a broader design issue requiring upgrades \u201cacross the fleet\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>NASA and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Engine issues have affected earlier tests<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Raptor engine and propulsion-system problems have contributed to previous Starship setbacks. During its 12th flight in May, an engine failed to ignite as planned. SpaceX had also scrubbed attempts to test-fire Raptor engines in space during some earlier flights.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>All engines successfully fired during the spacecraft\u2019s 13th flight in July.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The latest failure comes as NASA prepares for Artemis III, an Earth-orbit test mission targeted for as early as summer 2027. The mission is intended to rehearse rendezvous and docking manoeuvres before the first crewed lunar landing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>\u201cThe real pressure is the moon. NASA needs Starship for Artemis III,\u201d Sladen said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>NASA is targeting 2028 for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface, a timeline widely viewed as ambitious. <!-- -->The United States is also seeking to land astronauts on the Moon before China, which plans a crewed lunar mission by 2030.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>SpaceX faces competition from Blue Origin<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>SpaceX was initially contracted to provide the first crewed lunar lander for Artemis. However, NASA chief Jared Isaacman said in April that the agency would select whichever lander was ready to fly first.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>SpaceX is developing a Human Landing System based on Starship, a large stainless-steel spacecraft. <!-- -->Blue Origin is building its Blue Moon lander using a more traditional design.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Both vehicles could take part in the Artemis III mission if they are ready, demonstrating orbital manoeuvres using their in-space engines.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>A prolonged delay in Starship\u2019s development could also affect SpaceX\u2019s commercial plans, including its efforts to expand the Starlink satellite broadband network, Reuters reported.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/science\/how-spacexs-latest-starship-engine-failure-could-affect-nasas-moon-mission-artemis-programme\/articleshow\/134569523.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX&#8217;s mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas. SpaceX\u2019s Starship engine failure during its latest uncrewed test flight could complicate NASA\u2019s plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2028, as the spacecraft is being developed as a lunar lander for the Artemis programme.The next-generation spacecraft completed several key objectives during its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"SpaceX&#8217;s mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas. SpaceX\u2019s Starship engine failure during its latest uncrewed test flight could complicate NASA\u2019s plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2028, as the spacecraft is being developed as a lunar lander for the Artemis programme.The next-generation spacecraft completed several key objectives during its [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/aptopix-spacex-starship-launch.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}