NASA selected SpaceX to develop a lunar optimized Starship to transport crew between lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
A lunar optimized Starship can fly many times between the surface of the Moon and lunar orbit without flaps or heat shielding required for Earth return. With large habitable and storage volume, Starship is capable of delivering significant amounts of cargo for research and to support robust operations on the lunar surface to enable a sustainable Moon base.
Last year, NASA announced Starship as eligible for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative – to deliver payloads between Earth and the Moon, and to enable humans to return to the Moon.
sourced – SpaceX
What “lunar-optimized” means
The HLS version drops Earth-return hardware that a standard Starship needs:
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- No heat shield
- No flaps/control surfaces for atmospheric reentry
It is designed to operate only between lunar orbit and the surface, using mid-body thrusters for the final landing and an elevator to move crew and cargo from the high cabin to the ground. Cargo versions of the same vehicle are designed to land up to ~100 metric tons.
