SpaceX's first Starship test flight in April carries the risk of significantly delaying the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Artemis program to develop a sustainable human presence on the Moon, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). NASA's Artemis III flight is currently planned to take off in 2025, and the GAO's report shares that several portions of SpaceX's Human Landing System (HLS) development are taking longer than NASA programs typically do based on average historical data. Other key constraints identified for a 2025 launch include delays with the new spacesuits that Axiom Space is designing for lunar use.

根据美国政府问责办公室 (GAO) 的一份报告，SpaceX 于 4 月份进行的首次星舰试飞可能会严重推迟美国国家航空航天局 (NASA) 的阿尔忒弥斯计划，该计划旨在开发人类在月球上可持续存在的方案。 NASA 的 Artemis III 飞行目前计划于 2025 年起飞，GAO 的报告指出，SpaceX 载人着陆系统 (HLS) 开发的几个部分所花费的时间比 NASA 项目通常根据平均历史数据所花的时间要长。 2025 年发射确定的其他关键限制包括 Axiom Space 为月球设计的新型宇航服的延迟。

In-Space Propellant Transfer Remains Key Hurdle To Successful Starship Demonstration Says GAO Report

SpaceX's mission architecture for its Starship HLS lunar lander involves launching a fuel depot to space and then filling it up. Once the depot is full, the HLS lander will dock with it to fill up and then start its journey to the Moon. According to the GAO, demonstrating in-space propellant transfer requires successfully launching Starship into orbit. SpaceX's April Starship test flight ended up delaying key demonstrations. to make them uncomfortably close to a 2025 Artemis III launch.

GAO 报告称，太空推进剂转移仍然是星舰演示成功的关键障碍 SpaceX 的星舰 HLS 月球着陆器的任务架构包括将燃料库发射到太空，然后将其填充。一旦仓库满了，HLS 着陆器将与其对接以装满，然后开始其月球之旅。据美国政府问责局称，演示太空推进剂转移需要成功地将星际飞船送入轨道。 SpaceX 四月份的星舰试飞最终推迟了关键演示。使他们不安地接近 2025 年 Artemis III 的发射。

The report outlines that for its April Starship test, SpaceX had planned to successfully demonstrate Starship ascent,  flight of the second stage stacked on the first stage and stage separation. However, company officials informed the agency that a fire inside the rocket caused its autonomous flight termination system to destroy the rocket and prematurely end the test.

该报告概述了 SpaceX 计划在 4 月份的星舰测试中成功演示星舰上升、第二级堆叠在第一级上的飞行以及级分离。然而，该公司官员告诉该机构，火箭内部起火导致其自主飞行终止系统摧毁火箭并提前结束测试。

SpaceX and NASA have delayed multiple "key events" for the HLS program to 2024, says the GAO, with eight out of 13 key events delayed by six to 13 months. SpaceX has to complete eight key events between November 2023 and the Artemis III flight, and this assessment was made before this month's orbital test flight that demonstrated stage separation and second-stage Starship engine ignition.

GAO 表示，SpaceX 和 NASA 已将 HLS 项目的多个“关键事件”推迟到 2024 年，其中 13 个关键事件中有 8 个推迟了 6 至 13 个月。 SpaceX 必须在 2023 年 11 月至阿耳忒弥斯 III 飞行之间完成八项关键事件，这一评估是在本月的轨道测试飞行之前做出的，该测试飞行演示了级分离和第二级星舰发动机点火。

The delays might also have safety implications for the HLS program as they will squeeze the timeline that NASA has to work with to ensure that Starship meets human spaceflight requirements, states the GAO. According to NASA and HLS officials, SpaceX has to demonstrate that Starship can make it to orbit before it can progress to other milestones, such as a pre-Artemis III uncrewed test and in-space propellant transfer.

美国政府问责局表示，这些延误还可能对 HLS 计划产生安全影响，因为它们将压缩 NASA 必须合作以确保 Starship 满足载人航天要求的时间表。据 NASA 和 HLS 官员称，SpaceX 必须证明 Starship 能够进入轨道，然后才能取得其他里程碑，例如阿耳忒弥斯 III 前的无人测试和太空推进剂转移。

However, HLS officials were confident that a successful test flight would accelerate SpaceX's design process, enabling the firm to lock in Starship's design. After the April test flight, NASA officials were uncertain whether Starship could meet the Artemis III December 2025 deadline, with the HLS program schedule requiring adjustments post-April.

然而，HLS 官员相信，成功的试飞将加速 SpaceX 的设计进程，使该公司能够锁定 Starship 的设计。在 4 月份的试飞之后，NASA 官员不确定 Starship 是否能够在 2025 年 12 月的阿耳忒弥斯 III 截止日期前完成任务，HLS 项目时间表需要在 4 月份之后进行调整。

The primary technical work areas that might cause a delay include the Raptor engine and the fuel depot. Operating the Raptor at certain performance levels is key for the engine's certification, and should it remain uncertified, then an alternative engine system cannot be developed in time. Talking to the GAO, SpaceX's representatives shared that they were able to collect valuable data for tanking and other operations after the April test. They added that SpaceX has assembled and tested hundreds of engines as part of an iterative design approach.

可能导致延误的主要技术工作领域包括猛禽发动机和燃料库。在某些性能水平上运行猛禽是发动机认证的关键，如果仍未获得认证，则无法及时开发替代发动机系统。 SpaceX 的代表在接受 GAO 采访时表示，在 4 月份的测试后，他们能够收集到用于储罐和其他操作的宝贵数据。他们补充说，作为迭代设计方法的一部分，SpaceX 已经组装并测试了数百个发动机。

For the on-orbit fuel storage system, the report outlines that program documentation shares that SpaceX has made little progress in maturing these technologies. Key systems that SpaceX has to develop include

对于在轨燃料储存系统，该报告概述了项目文件，表明 SpaceX 在成熟这些技术方面进展甚微。 SpaceX 必须开发的关键系统包括

According to the GAO, some of the systems that SpaceX has to develop are:

根据 GAO 的说法，SpaceX 必须开发的一些系统包括：

Those systems include docking sensors and mechanisms (to identify, locate, and then physically align the HLS Starship and the tanker Starship for fluid transfer); propellant measurement (to gauge the amount of propellant in the tanks and how much was transferred); and storage capability to mitigate fuel loss in space.

这些系统包括对接传感器和机制（识别、定位并物理对齐 HLS 星舰和加油机星舰以进行流体传输）；推进剂测量（测量储罐中推进剂的量以及转移的量）；和存储能力，以减少太空中的燃料损失。

The report was written before SpaceX's November Starship test, which saw successful stage separation and engine ignition. Since then, footage from the facilities in Texas shows significant activity as SpaceX prepares Starship for its next test flight.

该报告是在 SpaceX 11 月的星舰测试之前撰写的，这次测试成功实现了级分离和发动机点火。从那时起，德克萨斯州设施的视频显示，SpaceX 正在为 Starship 的下一次试飞做准备，期间发生了重大活动。