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NASA watchdogs have raised concerns about Starship’s complexity and the daunting technical risks associated with using the vehicle for a moon landing “given its intricate operational design, complex concept of operations, and challenges during their ongoing flight test program,” according to a recently published report by NASA’s independent safety advisory group, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
Another report from NASA’s Inspector General notes that “gaps exist” in the “testing posture and crew survival analyses” of Starship.
“If the landers encounter a catastrophic event, NASA knows it would not have the capability to rescue stranded astronauts from space or the lunar surface,” the report noted.
SpaceX has not directly responded to the reports.
But in an October 2025 statement, the company said this:
“To return Americans to the Moon, SpaceX aligned Starship development along two paths: development of the core Starship system and supporting infrastructure,” noting SpaceX has been “self-funding over 90% of system costs.”
Creating the lunar lander NASA is requesting, SpaceX said, “leverages and modifies the core vehicle capability.”
SpaceX was making the case that it’s not unfocused on NASA’s mission. It’s just trying to figure out how to get the overall Starship system to work — and then it can figure out how to tailor Starship to fitting NASA’s needs.
SpaceX is working under contracts worth up to about $4 billion with NASA, and the company has highlighted that the deal is “fixed-price,” meaning SpaceX doesn’t get more money if it lags behind or development doesn’t go as intended.
