Starship needs orbital refueling to reach the Moon

To reach the Moon, Starship must first be fueled in orbit, but the number of launches required for this process remains uncertain. The Artemis schedule leaves little room for error, as Starship plays a central role in the Artemis program, with NASA selecting it, along with Blue Origin's Blue Moon, to land astronauts on the Moon.

Artemis timeline depends on SpaceX's success

On October 23, the agency adjusted its roadmap while maintaining its goal of returning to the Moon by 2028. For this plan to hold, SpaceX must succeed in a maneuver that has never been attempted at this scale, according to Bloomberg.

Orbital gas station concept for Starship

Starship consumes so much fuel to leave Earth that it cannot reach the Moon in one go. SpaceX plans to first launch a "depot" Starship, a kind of empty orbital gas station, and then "tanker" Starships will come later to fill it over several launches.

Disagreement over number of tanker launches

However, the number of tanker variants needed remains a point of contention. Last week, a NASA advisory committee mentioned 22 flights, a figure immediately contested by Elon Musk, who estimates that between 6 and 8 would be needed. Jeremy Parsons, head of the Artemis program, considers Musk's goal to be "quite aggressive," while estimating that "it would be great" to achieve it.

Uncertainty has existed for years

This approximation is not new. In 2023, a NASA official mentioned a figure "in the high teens," while a SpaceX executive mentioned "around a dozen" a year later. With one year until the Artemis III mission, this mystery still seems unresolved.

Unknowns complicate the mission

Several unknowns explain this gap, starting with the actual capacity of Starship. Elon Musk promises that the V3, which is currently in the testing phase, will be able to carry more than 100 tons into orbit, but this has not yet been proven. Likewise, the fuel, stored at very low temperatures, partially evaporates during the transfer and during storage, which could force additional tanker launches.

First fuel transfer test planned for 2027

The first demonstration of fuel transfer between two Starships is targeted for early 2027, while the megaboom has only just reached orbit for the first time. This test should finally provide an estimate, but it must be carried out on time. Blue Origin is waiting in the wings: its lander does not require orbital refueling.