Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator, expressed doubts about the chosen structure for the Artemis missions, the program intended to bring astronauts back to the Moon. This statement was made during his participation in a Space.com podcast on June 12th while discussing current challenges in space exploration.
Bridenstine, who led NASA during President Donald Trump's first term, warned that the lunar modules contracted by the agency remain one of the biggest hurdles to the established schedule. The current plan anticipates a crewed landing in 2028 during the Artemis 4 mission.
The former administrator's concern is linked to the development level of the vehicles selected by NASA: SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon. Both require finalizing tests before being deemed suitable to carry crews to the lunar surface.
In the conversation on the podcast This Week in Space, hosted by Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle, Bridenstine contrasted the Artemis strategy with the model used in the Apollo missions, which took place in the 1960s and 1970s. According to his analysis, the current program requires a considerably longer sequence of procedures.
The former NASA chief emphasized that the Apollo project had a simpler architecture, integrating the lander with the assembly launched by the Saturn V rocket. In contrast, Artemis requires multiple launches and an in-space rendezvous operation. He stated that the architecture is 'extraordinarily complicated.'
For Bridenstine, the simplicity adopted in the Apollo program was a crucial factor in the United States reaching the Moon shortly after the announcement made by then-President John F. Kennedy. Reducing complexity, he argued, was decisive in achieving that goal.
The landers contracted by NASA also face additional phases before any crewed mission. Both Starship and Blue Moon must conduct uncrewed demonstration flights and pass rigorous certification processes before being cleared for human operations.
The Artemis design envisions the lunar vehicles being launched separately from the rocket carrying the Orion capsule. Additionally, the landers will need to perform in-space refueling before taking astronauts to the Moon and returning to lunar orbit to connect with the crewed spacecraft.
A report mentioned in NASA material indicated that Starship may require a minimum of 15 extra launches to complete the necessary supply for a full lunar mission. The exact number of refueling flights for each lander has not yet been determined.
Artemis 3, planned as preparation for the 2028 landing, should test the integration between Orion and the two lunar vehicles in low Earth orbit. During this trip, astronauts will have to rendezvous and dock with the landers for approximately two weeks.
The performance of the vehicles in this phase could influence future NASA decisions. The agency had already expressed concern over Starship's development due to delays while evaluating possible changes to the Artemis 3 lander contract.
Bridenstine stressed that the highest priority must be finding a solution that allows a lander to become operational as quickly as possible. He concluded by saying that 'whatever is necessary to build a lander as fast as possible is what we should be doing as a country.'
