NASA's acting administrator Sean Duffy has publicly questioned SpaceX's progress on a lunar lander, signaling potential changes to the agency's moon landing plans. In two television appearances on Monday morning, Duffy highlighted delays and openness to alternatives. This comes amid efforts to return humans to the moon.
On Monday morning, NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy appeared on two television programs, where he addressed the agency's ambitious goals for human moon landings. Duffy directly called out SpaceX for being “behind schedule” on developing a lunar lander as part of the Artemis program. He emphasized exploring other options to ensure timely progress.
This shake-up reflects ongoing challenges in NASA's partnership with private companies like SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, to achieve sustainable lunar presence. The comments were made in the context of the agency's push to land astronauts on the moon, a key milestone delayed from earlier targets. Duffy's statements introduce uncertainty into the current trajectory, prioritizing reliability over sticking to existing contracts.
No specific timelines for alternative explorations were detailed, but the remarks underscore NASA's flexibility in adapting to setbacks in spacecraft development.