Starship HLS

Starship HLS
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Name	Starship HLS
Caption	Conceptual rendering of the lunar lander variant.
Mission type	Crewed lunar landing
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Launch vehicle	SpaceX Starship
Status	In development
First flight	Planned for Artemis 3

Starship HLS. The Starship Human Landing System (HLS) is a lunar lander variant of the SpaceX Starship spacecraft, selected by NASA to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon as part of the Artemis program. Developed by SpaceX, it represents a significant departure from previous Apollo program landers, being a large, fully reusable vehicle designed to support extended crewed missions. Its selection marked a major milestone in NASA's shift towards public-private partnerships for deep space exploration.

Development and design

The vehicle's design leverages the core architecture of the SpaceX Starship super-heavy lift launch system, which is itself undergoing rapid development at SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Key modifications for the lunar mission include the removal of the aerodynamic control surfaces and heat shield required for Earth return, as the lander is not designed to re-enter an atmosphere. Instead, it features a dedicated landing propulsion system with multiple Raptor engines and several methane-oxygen thrusters for precise touchdown on the lunar surface. The spacious interior, with a projected volume far exceeding that of the Apollo Lunar Module, is intended to support crews for extended durations and carry substantial cargo, including pressurized rovers like the proposed Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Its design philosophy emphasizes full reusability and in-space refueling, requiring multiple tanker flights of the SpaceX Starship to fill its propellant depots in a high low Earth orbit before it can depart for the Moon.

Contract and funding

NASA awarded the initial development contract for the Starship HLS in April 2021 under the agency's Human Landing System program, following a competitive process that also involved proposals from the National Team led by Blue Origin and Dynetics. The original contract, valued at approximately $2.9 billion, was a firm-fixed-price award covering the development of the lander and an uncrewed demonstration mission. In 2022, NASA exercised an option under the contract for a second crewed demonstration landing, intended for the Artemis 4 mission. A subsequent modification in 2023, following a re-competition, secured Starship HLS as the lander for the Artemis 5 mission as well, bringing the total contract value to around $4.2 billion. This funding structure places significant development risk on SpaceX, which is investing its own capital, aligning with NASA's strategy of leveraging commercial capabilities.

Mission profile and capabilities

The operational mission profile begins with the launch of an uncrewed Starship HLS on a SpaceX Super Heavy booster, after which it will rendezvous in Earth orbit with a series of dedicated SpaceX Starship tanker vehicles for propellant transfer. Once fully fueled, it will perform a trans-lunar injection burn to travel to a Near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. The crew will launch separately aboard an Orion spacecraft on a Space Launch System rocket, docking with the waiting lander in lunar orbit. After descent and a multi-day surface expedition, the lander will ascend back to NRHO to return the crew to Orion. Its substantial payload capacity, estimated at up to 100 metric tons to the lunar surface, is intended to deliver critical infrastructure, such as habitats and scientific instruments, enabling a sustained human presence. This capability is central to NASA's long-term goals for the Artemis Base Camp.

Testing and milestones

Development progress is intrinsically linked to the broader SpaceX Starship flight test campaign, with early orbital test flights from SpaceX Starbase focusing on vehicle ascent, stage separation, and re-entry of the Starship upper stage. A critical upcoming milestone is a successful demonstration of large-scale cryogenic propellant transfer in orbit, a technology never before proven at this scale, which is essential for the HLS mission architecture. NASA officials have witnessed several SpaceX Starship test flights, including IFT-3 in March 2024, which tested some relevant technologies like propellant transfer demonstrations between internal tanks. The program will culminate in an uncrewed lunar landing demonstration test prior to the crewed Artemis 3 mission, a key requirement under the NASA contract to certify vehicle safety and performance.

Role in Artemis program

Starship HLS is the designated lander for the Artemis 3 and Artemis 4 missions, which aim to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 and establish a longer-term foothold. Its selection signaled a strategic pivot by NASA towards leveraging high-capacity, commercially developed systems to achieve the ambitious goals of the Artemis program, which include landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon. The lander's large capacity is seen as a foundational enabler for subsequent phases of lunar exploration, supporting the construction of a permanent Artemis Base Camp at the lunar south pole. Its success is therefore viewed as critical not only for near-term lunar objectives but also for validating the technologies and operational approaches needed for future human missions to Mars, a long-stated goal of both NASA and SpaceX.

Category:SpaceX spacecraft Category:NASA programs Category:Artemis program Category:Lunar landers