Will SpaceX’s failed Starship flight affect NASA’s moon plan?

1. The SpaceX Starship suffered a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" during its maiden flight, but it cleared the pad and flew for four minutes before exploding.

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2. The failure of the Starship to reach orbit was not a big surprise for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

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3. NASA plans to use a modified version of the Starship for the Artemis III mission, but a lot has to go right for NASA to stick to its plan.

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4. The Super Heavy and Starship HLS have to be ready for the crewed lunar landing, and SpaceX hopes to try again with the Starship in a few months.

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5. NASA has to confirm the safety and reliability of its SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

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6. SpaceX will have to succeed in getting the Starship to orbit on its next test flight for NASA to have any real hope of making the 2025 target date for the crewed lunar landing.

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