NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Sustaining Crewed Lunar Demo

Launch Time
NET 2028

First mission of a second generation Lunar Starship.

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Rocket

Starship HLS
SpaceX
Status: Planned
Liftoff Thrust: 74,432 kN
Payload to LEO: 200,000 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 121.0 m
Fairing Diameter: 9.0 m

Mission Details

Sustaining Crewed Lunar Demo

Sustaining Lunar Development Crewed Landing is the third Lunar landing (second crewed) contracted by NASA to SpaceX. It will be carried out by a second-generation Starship HLS under the Artemis Program. HLS will be launched to low-earth orbit, where it will dock with and refuel from a Starship propellant depot. From there it will undock and perform a trans-lunar injection burn and enter NRHO (Near-rectilinear halo orbit) where it will dock with the Gateway Lunar space station. As part of the Artemis IV mission, four crewmembers will transfer from Gateway into Starship HLS, undock and descend to the Lunar surface. The four astronauts will spend a significant amount of time on the surface, after which HLS will lift off, rendezvous and dock with Gateway once more, completing its mission.

Lunar orbit

Location

LC-39A Starship Pad, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA