NASA safety panel member cites estimate of around 22 flights to fuel Moon lander; Musk says 6 to 8

Ars Technica says the panel member could only have meant SpaceX's Starship; SpaceX founder Elon Musk called the figure "way too high."

Published October 23, 2026 · 7:17 AM ET

SpaceX's Starship lifts off from Starbase, Texas, on its fifth integrated flight test on Oct. 13, 2024. Steve Jurvetson, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

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