Tuesday 23 September 2025 16:50 BST Related: SpaceX's Starship successfully lands without exploding for the first time Nasa's Artemis 3 mission to return humans to the Moon could be delayed by several years due to unresolved issues with SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS). Experts from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel identified SpaceX's inability to demonstrate cryogenic propellant transfer in low Earth orbit as a critical challenge for the HLS. Paul Hill, a panelist and former Nasa director, said that the HLS schedule is “significantly challenged” and could be “years late” for the revised 2027 Moon landing target. SpaceX, which secured a multi-billion dollar contract in 2021 for the lunar lander, has experienced multiple Starship flight test failures, including explosions and technical setbacks. Former Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine warned that the ongoing issues with Starship mean the United States is falling behind China in the current space race to the Moon. In full