“Two years, we went from Apollo 4, an uncrewed mission, to Apollo 11, where our astronauts were landing and walking on the moon here. Let’s not just take the idea that we should be trying to do things on a reasonable timeline means it is inherently unsafe. That’s an insult to everyone that comes to NASA and industry, and certainly the pioneers from decades past that know how this is done.”
-Statement by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in response from a question by WESH 2 news about safety versus speed. This comes the same week that NASA is seeking bids on $10 billion in new contracts for lunar cargo flights. Given the number of companies involved, it appears NASA will have the support it needs. But while the Moon missions are going well, SpaceX’s recent announcement that it is retiring its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule may put travel to the International Space Station (ISS) at risk. It will be strange if the US can get to the Moon but not the ISS.
