NASA chief suggests SpaceX may be booted from moon mission

I'm not really sure if keeping a strict schedule has any real relevance here, outside maybe PR and politics. Starships will drop the cost to other bodies in the same way Falcon dropped the cost to orbit. Why would anyone want to invest in a technology and a project that will be obsolete by the time it's implemented?

> not really sure if keeping a strict schedule has any real relevance here

You don't see the relevance of Artemis III launching in mid-2027 [1] or 2028 versus, say, after November 2028?

[1] https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

I don't see any real possibility of Artemis 3 launching before 2030, frankly. That "mid-2027" timeline is a joke said with a straight face.

There are enough contractors involved and enough delay potential on the table that getting all the ducks in the row in time for the 2027 date would require nothing short of divine intervention.