The Hill by Mark Whittington 5/4/2020
How SpaceX's Starship became NASA's ace in the hole to get to the moon by 2024
NASA has announced the three commercial teams that have been slated to build machines that will return human beings to the moon in four years. They are Dynetics, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Of the three, the proposal by SpaceX has the most potential to land that next man and first woman on the moon by 2024.
SpaceX’s entry into the commercial race to land on the moon is a modified version of the Starship, the massive rocket being developed in Boca Chica, Texas. The Starship, which would be launched into Earth orbit by an even bigger rocket called the SuperHeavy, is SpaceX’s vehicle to build a settlement on Mars. Once in Earth orbit, it would be refueled by another Starship configured as a tanker before heading to the Red Planet. The Starship could also fly to the moon and back in a similar manner.
To shoehorn Starship into NASA’s preferred architecture, the “Lunar Starship'' would fly without the flaps and heat shield needed to return to Earth. Once it arrives in lunar orbit, the lunar version of the Starship would dock with an Orion that would be delivered by the superheavy-lift Space Launch System. The crew would transfer to the “Lunar Starship'' and ride down to the moon’s surface. When the mission is completed, the Starship would lift off, dock with the Orion that had been left in lunar orbit and transfer the crew. The astronauts would then ride Orion back to Earth.
More:
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/495913-how-spacexs-starship-became-nasas-ace-in-the-hole-to-get-to-the-moon-by
