ChromeKiwi@AshleyKillipThanks to @SpaceX for some new HLS render's i have added some labels to help with what we are looking at on these variants. As moon only ships will not be returning to earth they will not need header tanks so the nose can be for the docking adaptor and creates a larger enclosed area, so a second air lock would likely be needed it seems a lot to depress the full crew volume. Also with no thermal protection system and the flaps being deleted (used only for Earth reentry) will save a lot of weight. I wonder if anything will be added to prevent boil off of the main tanks or if they move that protection internal ? Many questions still about HLS i have been fascinated by human habitats in space since BFR.
Jay Keegan@_jaykeegan_·In a statement to NSF, NASA confirms that both SpaceX and Blue Origin submitted accelerated approaches for an HLS lander. On the Request For Information from the broader industry, this will come after the government shutdown is over.
Quote from: catdlr on 10/30/2025 02:42 pmSpaceX just made an Update article on there websiteQuoteSpaceX@SpaceX·For the first time in our existence, we possess the means, technology, and, for the moment, the will to establish a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Starship is designed to make this future a reality → To the Moon and BeyondWow. Apparently Duffy got their attention. This is in effect a comprehensive response to Duffy's vague assertions that SpaceX is late. It's also the clearest declaration yet that SpaceX has a "Moon first" focus right now. More, it's not explictly written as a response to Duffy. Instead, it's a clear and fairly detailed overview for the general public of the current status and ongoing plan for Starship. For example, it does not explicitly say that an interim kludge lander would be too tiny to be meaningful. Instead, it says that Starshjip HLS will be very large in pressurized volume and mass and will fully support a serious lunar effort....and that's just the first two pages. I will go read the rest of it and I urge you all to do so also.
SpaceX just made an Update article on there websiteQuoteSpaceX@SpaceX·For the first time in our existence, we possess the means, technology, and, for the moment, the will to establish a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Starship is designed to make this future a reality → To the Moon and Beyond
SpaceX@SpaceX·For the first time in our existence, we possess the means, technology, and, for the moment, the will to establish a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Starship is designed to make this future a reality →
Quote from: DanClemmensen on 10/30/2025 03:21 pmQuote from: catdlr on 10/30/2025 02:42 pmSpaceX just made an Update article on there websiteQuoteSpaceX@SpaceX·For the first time in our existence, we possess the means, technology, and, for the moment, the will to establish a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Starship is designed to make this future a reality → To the Moon and BeyondWow. Apparently Duffy got their attention. This is in effect a comprehensive response to Duffy's vague assertions that SpaceX is late. It's also the clearest declaration yet that SpaceX has a "Moon first" focus right now. More, it's not explictly written as a response to Duffy. Instead, it's a clear and fairly detailed overview for the general public of the current status and ongoing plan for Starship. For example, it does not explicitly say that an interim kludge lander would be too tiny to be meaningful. Instead, it says that Starshjip HLS will be very large in pressurized volume and mass and will fully support a serious lunar effort....and that's just the first two pages. I will go read the rest of it and I urge you all to do so also.I'm not sure about the Moon first focus. When HLS was contracted in 2021 the Artemis 3 mission was delayed to mid 2025. Now, 2027 is increasingly unrealistic. And SpaceX in October 2025 tells us that they will start manufacturing the first functional mockup of HLS cabin soon? I don't think this is example of "Moon first" approach. Looks like minimum effort to me. Moreover, the cabin mockup SpaceX shown us is clearly the old footage of converted early starship nosecone. The layout makes no sense for the Moon landing. In my opinion they go for "battle star" type of cabin for Mars and make minimum effort to convert it for the Moon. Mars needs TPS, flaps, big volume, low dV, stainless steel. Moon needs high dV --> low mass --> god forbid stainless, very little in space operation, no flaps etc.
SpaceX has started fabricating a flight-article Starship HLS cabin that will include functional avionics and power systems, crew systems and mechanisms, environmental control and life support systems, cabin and crew communications systems, and a cabin thermal control system. This flight-capable cabin will enable engineers to demonstrate high design maturity of the various systems required to support a human landing on the Moon, enable integrated system-level hardware testing, and provide a highly realistic training experience for future lunar explorers.
QuoteChromeKiwi@AshleyKillipThanks to @SpaceX for some new HLS render's i have added some labels to help with what we are looking at on these variants. As moon only ships will not be returning to earth they will not need header tanks so the nose can be for the docking adaptor and creates a larger enclosed area, so a second air lock would likely be needed it seems a lot to depress the full crew volume. Also with no thermal protection system and the flaps being deleted (used only for Earth reentry) will save a lot of weight. I wonder if anything will be added to prevent boil off of the main tanks or if they move that protection internal ? Many questions still about HLS i have been fascinated by human habitats in space since BFR.https://twitter.com/AshleyKillip/status/1984036095999586448
