How SpaceXs Starship engine failure could impact NASAs moon mission

The Starship engine failure that nearly foiled the orbital debut of SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft on its 14th uncrewed test flight may complicate NASA’s ability to meet ​its time frame for astronaut missions to the moon.Starship, designed in part to carry large payloads to space, is one of two vehicles vying to ‌become the first craft that NASA will use as early as 2028 to land humans on the moon and bring them safely home, a feat last achieved in 1972 at the end of the Apollo era.While Starship accomplished a number of key objectives in its latest test launch from Texas on Monday, the mission was cut short by several hours after a malfunction of its propulsion system.Despite the unexpected shutdown of one ​of its three main Raptor engines following Starship’s launch from its lower-stage booster rocket, flight controllers sent the spacecraft to orbit for its first-ever commercial ​satellite deployment.Determining what caused the engine glitch remains critical to SpaceX’s bottom line.But the stakes are potentially higher for NASA, as a ⁠Starship moon-landing vehicle would rely on the same engine system for transporting astronauts through space to and from the lunar surface.How big a blow to Starship’s development progress the engine ​snafu becomes depends on whether it turns out to be “a one-off failure of a single part” or points to a larger design problem that requires upgrades “across the fleet,” said Dean Sladen, ​an aerospace engineer for Accu Components.“Any engine fix that holds up the next flights, including the planned attempt to catch the ship with the launch tower’s arms (after re-entry), eats into that schedule,” he said.NASA and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.A longer delay would pose not only a greater setback to SpaceX’s commercial ambitions to rapidly expand its Starlink broadband satellite ​network, but its pivotal role in NASA’s Artemis moon program.“The real pr...