SpaceX pushed back firmly against former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine after he questioned the agency\u2019s reliance on Starship for the Artemis 3 Moon mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a detailed thread on X, SpaceX argued that Bridenstine’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt as he is working as a paid lobbyist for companies that are competing for NASA contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bridenstine and fellow former NASA chief Charlie Bolden noted during a recent symposium that NASA\u2019s current Artemis strategy is approaching zero chance of beating China to the Moon. Bridenstine expressed skepticism that NASA\u2019s current architecture, which is expected to use Starship to transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface, could succeed in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStarship is a tremendously important vehicle for the future,\u201d Bridenstine said, as per Space News<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s going to deliver large mass to low Earth orbit for a long time, and it\u2019s going to drive down costs and increase access. But if you need a moon lander, it\u2019s going to take time.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n