Disaster! NASA's Gateway CAN'T Stack with Starship HLS, SLS Can't Launch...

humanity is on the verge of returning to the moon this decade with Starship set to play a pivotal role in this historic mission in tandem with Starship NASA is developing additional systems to support this significant Endeavor however not all of these systems are proving to be effective with the lunar Gateway standing out as a point of concern the lunar Gateway initiative is currently encountering several challenges most notably its potential conflict with Starship hls what are these specific issues with the lunar Gateway and should NASA reconsider this complex initiative let's explore these questions in today's episode of great SpaceX according to NASA's current road map Artemis 2 is scheduled for September next year followed by Artemis 3 and four missions in September of 2026 and September of 2028 respectively with both Landings being facilitated by spacex's Starship hls or human Landing system among these emis 3 is particularly significant as it will Mark Humanity's Return To The Moon after more than half a century however these subsequent missions especially Artemis 4 the second mission to land humans on the moon also hold great promise featuring several major advancements compared to emis 3 in addition to Starship hls NASA has proposed the develop M of a system called the lunar Gateway this project envisions a space station operating in lunar orbit serving as a staging point before the lunar lander transports astronauts to the moon's surface the lunar Gateway is intended to support long-term sustainable lunar exploration and may lay the groundwork for establishing permanent bases and extended operations on the moon however the situation is not as promising as it appears the complexity and incompatibility of the lunar Gateway with Starship hls have raised significant concerns a recent report from the US government accountability office or GAO highlighted several issues with NASA's plans underscoring the challenges facing the lunar Gateway project the first major issue with the lunar Gateway is its schedule initially planned for 2022 the project has faced significant delays with key modules like Halo ihab and other subsystems still in development according to the GAO report the the first launch of the system has been pushed back to at least December of 2027 this delay poses a significant compatibility issue with spacex's Starship hls while Artemis 3 will not utilize the Gateway Artemis 4 is scheduled for September of 2028 only about 10 months after the earliest possible launch date for the Gateway this timeline is insufficient to ensure the Gateway is fully operational and ready to support the Artemis Mission critical components such as the Halo module and the power and propulsion element or PPE need to be launched at least 12 months before Artemis 4 to be fully functional another concern highlighted in the GAO report is the cost of the learner Gateway project the estimated cost until December of 2027 stands at a staggering 5.3 billion US NASA has already spent significant amounts $1 billion on the PPE module and 1.3 on the Halo module this financial burden places immense pressure on NASA with no guarantees that the project will remain within budget or operate efficiently once completed now let's dive into the complexity of the lunar Gateway project which unfolds in eight intricate Steps step one NASA will Begin by using spacex's Falcon heavy to launch the power and propulsion element and the habitation and Logistics Outpost these two modules will be connected in space and then deployed together they will transit to a near rectilinear Halo orbit establishing the basic structure of the Gateway step two SpaceX will follow up by launching its Logistics vehicle the dragon XL this vehicle is an upgraded version of the current dragon featuring a larger size and increased thrust the dragon XL will transit to nrho and dock with the Gateway providing essential supplies and equipment step three SpaceX will then launch a Depot into low earth orbit or Leo several Starship tankers will be launched to deliver fuel to this Depot once the depot has accumulated enough fuel the Starship human Landing system will be launched and docked at the Depot to transfer fuel after being fully fueled the Starship hls will separate from the Depot Transit to nrho and rendevu with the Gateway step four NASA will launch the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts and the international habitat module or ihab aboard their SLS 1B rocket this launch will utilize the mobile launcher 2 system and marks a critical step in the Assembly of the Gateway and the Artemis Mission these steps underscore the immense complexity and coordination required for the lunar Gateway project highlighting the challenges NASA and SpaceX face in making this ambitious plan a reality step five during the Journey To The Moon Orion will separate from the SLS upper stage and dock with the ihab module which remains connected to the Rocket's upper stage after docking the ihab will detach from the upper stage and Orion will then tow the ihab to the near rectilinear Halo orbit step six upon reaching the NRH Orion will dock the ihab into the gateway the crew will enter the Gateway and activate the ihab module where Orion will remain docked for the next 17 days step seven two of the four astronauts will board the Starship hls which will then undock from the Gateway descend to the lunar surface and land the astronauts will conduct various activities ities including Moonwalks to collect scientific samples over a period of about 6 days after completing their mission Starship hls will Ascend back to the nrho and dock with the Gateway and finally step eight the crew will transfer the collected sign samples to Orion for return to Earth after securing the samples the crew will board Orion and begin their Journey back home this lunar Mission involving the lunar Gateway illustrates a highly complex process with multiple stages and the involvement of various contractors each step introduces potential points of failure as the success of the mission is contingent upon the Flawless execution of each contractor's role for example the launch of Orion and the ihab module will be the inaugural mission for the SLS 1B rocket adding another layer of uncertainty in this intricate process Reliance on SpaceX systems such as Falcon heavy and to some extent the Starship is key as these systems have Dem significant progress and reliability as we've highlighted these processes will take an extended period to complete leading to exorbitant costs to put it into perspective consider the massive expenses associated with NASA's SLS program before the emis 1 mission NASA is under significant pressure due to decreasing budgets in recent years a trend that may continue this financial strain has forced the agency to cut costs on numerous projects with some even facing cancellation given this situation is maintaining the lunar Gateway truly the right choice moreover the lunar Gateway system also complicates the moon mission especially with the involvement of Starship hls before diving deeper into this please like share and subscribe to our Channel your support motivates us to keep bringing you updates on spacex's developments now let's compare the sizes the power and propulsion elements and the habitation and Logistics Outpost are designed to fit within Falcon Heavy's fairing payload meaning they are less than 13 M long and less than 5.2 m in diameter when combined with the ihab and other systems the overall size won't increase significantly in contrast Starship hls is vastly larger 50 m long 9 m in diameter with a dry mass of about 100 tons this mass will increase once Starship hls is fueled for its lunar Landing the disparity in size and complexity between the lunar Gateway modules and Starship hls presents significant challenges both technically and logistically for the mission the Starship hls being larger and heavier than the lunar Gateway could significantly alter the gateway's orbit when docked attribute this to the size of Starship hls and its propulsion system but it's important to note that NASA selected Starship hls specifically for its lunar missions the responsibility lies with NASA not SpaceX debates have emerged about whether NASA should eliminate one of these systems with some suggesting the removal of Starship hls however this would require NASA to completely overhaul its Mission plans Starship hls is essential for Artemis 3 which is scheduled before the lunar gateways deployment removing Starship hls would jeopardize not only Artemis 4 but also aremis 3 without the hls NASA would face significant challenges in finding a reliable and cost-effective alternative as other options like the SLS Project Blue origin or Ula do not currently offer the same capabilities as SpaceX NASA may need to simplify its approach by potentially cancelling the lunar Gateway building and using the Gateway for the second moon landing seems overly ambitious instead NASA could focus on Starship hls allowing SpaceX to develop launch and refueling systems that are more straightforward and cost effective this approach could expedite lunar Landings and enable future base construction on the moon without the complexities and high costs associated with the lunar Gateway as we approach approach the second half of 2024 NASA must make a decision soon especially with China advancing its own lunar plans Simplicity and efficiency will be crucial for Success should NASA consider abandoning the lunar Gateway share your thoughts in the comment section down below we're all aware that Artemis 2 is scheduled for launch in September of 2025 and Hardware preparations are ramping up that said recently after a long production period the core stage of this rock rocket known as Pegasus was transported from the production facility to the Kennedy Space Center on July 24th it was unloaded from the barge and moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building or VAB for short this prototype is equipped with all four rs25 engines other components including the solid boosters and second stage are expected to be delivered and assembled soon meanwhile it's launch system known as the mobile launcher is being taken to add other systems such as crew access arms engine sound suppression and other support systems serving the rocket launch process with these updates it seems likely that assembly will take place this year with tests on the complete prototype scheduled for next year before the launch however this is NASA and it's hard to predict if they will still stay on schedule with just over a year left until the September 2025 launch Target they must complete the Prototype assembly soon this progress is a rare piece of positive news from NASA lately even when everything appears ready there are still many concerns surrounding the SLS that's because right now we see that Starliner has launched but cannot return due to numerous issues initially planned for about a week on the ISS it's been nearly 2 months and this Mission still hasn't concluded although NASA and Boeing remain confident that everything is on track we all know their current problems are quite complicated so how does Boeing's problem relate to the SLS let's not forget for get that the SLS core stage we just mentioned is manufactured by Boeing this raises significant doubts about whether in a more complex Mission involving the moon similar risks might arise the emis 2 mission will carry astronauts around the Moon with the core stage accompanying the spacecraft for most of the initial Journey its impact shouldn't be underestimated if problems arise while it's operational the spacecraft deployment could fail this could resemble the astrobotic Mission earlier this year where launch issues caused problems with the paragr lunar lander unlike the Starliner situation where astronauts have a place to wait for rescue if something goes wrong a lunar mission is far more dangerous finding a safe haven is challenging and no other vehicles can promptly rescue them while I don't believe these risks will necessarily materialize and I hope they don't my current lack of confidence lies with Boeing's capabilities and I find that disturbing but hey that's only part are the problem with the SLS currently the rocket faces another significant risk cancellation due to its enormous costs you might be wondering how such an important project could be cancelled recent issues indicate this is entirely possible as NASA has cancelled many crucial projects for similar reasons most recently the Chandra telescope a symbol of space exploration is dangerously close to its end specifically a NASA committee concluded there is no way to continue operating the Chandra x-ray observ atory at the reduced funding level proposed in NASA's 2025 budget with NASA's budget set to decrease in the coming years and many expense of projects on the horizon cost cutting measures are inevitable currently chandra's operating cost is $ 68.3 million but it will be reduced to $ 41.1 million next year and further slashed in subsequent years by 2029 its operating budget might be reduced to just a mere $5.2 million with such reduced funding continuing chandra's operations will be extremely challenging therefore four options have been proposed with the complete cancellation of the project being considered the most appropriate solution other options involve cutting costs by reducing operating time or eliminating certain Chandra modes and instruments however these are not feasible as NASA would still incur costs without receiving satisfactory results in return previously another significant lunar project was cancelled the Viper lunar rover scheduled to launch on the Griffin Mission later this year by Falcon heavy Viper's costs had already reached $450 million projections indicated this could rise to $69. Million by 2025 if not cancelled largely due to delays with $322 million Lander Griffin which likely cannot launch before September of 2025 by canceling the project NASA expects to save $84 million both of these issues stem from NASA's ineffective operations in the case of the Chandra telescope the cost shortfall arises from NASA's stubbornness with other projects such as Hubble despite numerous problems individuals like isaacman supported by SpaceX offered to rescue Hubble at no cost to NASA however NASA declined and chose to continue operating the telescope for about another decade despite its problems inefficiencies and high costs as for Viper after enduring multiple delays over the years and nearing Readiness it was canceled for reasons that seem unjustifiable the main issue was of course Rising costs and future budget overruns Viper was meant to explore the moon's South Pole for water and other resources which are crucial for future lunar missions though it has been officially cancelled there is still hope as NASA plans on repurposing Viper's instruments and components for other lunar missions however this reflects NASA's long-standing mistakes in electing contractors and managing projects both of these projects were highly anticipated and held a great promise given that SLS is facing similar challenges one question emerges to the Forefront will it also be cancelled the answer is a resounding yes within NASA's system SLS is likely the most expensive project having started developing in the early 2010s the cost of SLS had reached $23.8 billion according to 2022 statistics and it's likely even higher now specifically developing the rocket cost $1.8 billion with each launch potentially exceeding $2 billion and each launch system and mobile launcher costing around a billion in comparison spacex's entire Starship system costs just $5 billion let me say that again $5 billion incredible amazing unbelievable yeah those are just some words to describe spacex's cost reduction strategy in the form of reusability you might recall the GAO report from last year which famously stated that senior NASA officials told GAO that at current cost levels the SLS program is unaffordable compared to the aformentioned projectss sls's problems are even more severe and concerning although it is intended for lunar exploration its inefficiencies cannot be overlooked if these issues persist it seems likely that SLS could face cancellation of course that will depend on NASA's decision but right now I still want to hear your opinion do you think the SLS should be cancelled let me know with a yes or a no in the comment section down below don't forget to leave a like share the video and subscribe to our channel to continue following spacex's development journey in addition to cost issues another factor that could lead to the potential cancellation of the SLS is the availability of alternative Rockets ready to fulfill its role particularly spacex's Starship beyond the cost advantages I mentioned Starship outperforms the SS in several ways although the official prototype is still in development SpaceX has made significant progress with Starship hls or human Landing system this includes testing elevators and building and evaluating simulated airlock systems compared to the SLS Starship holds significantly greater potential while the SLS is primarily designed for lunar missions Starship offers versatility for various applications including earthto Earth transportation and Mars colonization in general starship's development potential far exceeds that of the SLS despite its lower cost if NASA were to reallocate sls's investment to Starship they could develop a more costeffective and capable vehicle for a wide range of future missions not just a lunar exploration in terms of General progress SpaceX has made impressive Str with Starship in just over a year they've successfully conducted four missions including the historic achievement of Landing both stages of the rocket for the first time bear in mind that although the first three integrated flight tests resulted in ruds or rapid unscheduled disassembly it doesn't take away the fact that the data gathered from each sequential Mission were the building blocks to the Starship system's current iteration learning from your mistakes is definitely the fastest way to learn and SpaceX does not shy away from failure given their track record it's highly likely that SpaceX will accomplish even more in the coming years surpassing what NASA could achieve with SLS within the same budget and time frame in short NASA is grappling with significant issues stemming from their own missteps it might be time for them to step back and allow more advanced vehicles and talented innovators like spacex's Starship to take the lead this approach could pave the way for faster cheaper and more efficient space exploration if you agree hit that like button if you haven't already otherwise folks that's about it for today's episode thank you so much for tuning in and as always this has been Kevin from great SpaceX until next time keep looking up