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Starship Engine Failure Raises Concerns Over NASA Moon Plans. SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday, but an engine failure during the test flight could complicate NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon. One of Starship’s three main Raptor engines shut down prematurely after the spacecraft separated from its Super Heavy booster, forcing SpaceX to cut the mission short. Despite the problem, flight controllers managed to send the spacecraft into orbit, where it successfully deployed 26 new Starlink satellites in its first commercial satellite launch. The engine failure is particularly significant for NASA because the same Raptor technology is intended to power a version of Starship that will serve as a lunar lander for future Artemis missions. NASA aims to use the lander as part of its plans to return astronauts to the Moon, with a crewed lunar mission targeted for 2028. Aerospace experts say the impact on the programme will depend on whether the failure was caused by an isolated component or reveals a broader design problem across the Starship fleet. Any repairs or redesigns that delay upcoming Starship tests could put additional pressure on an already demanding schedule, including planned demonstrations needed for future lunar missions.
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