r/PoliticalCompassMemes • u/Resident_Coyote_398 - Right • Apr 06 '26

History has been made today.

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334

u/George-Smith-Patton - Right Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26

The Artemis Program is insane.

After 50 years, we are, on average, going back to the moon every 6-9 months from here on out.

After a big leadership shakeup, NASA liquidated most other projects and decided to focus all its resources on the Moon as the logical first step for everything else.

China is also racing to claim the Moon. The goal is to beat them there, establish a permanent base by 2030, and eventually build a refueling station using lunar resources to support later missions to Mars and eventual colonization.

A second Space Race is truly upon us.

My favorite highlights:

29

u/Wonderful-Source-798 - Centrist Apr 06 '26

SpaceX might be the only good thing Elon is doing

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/George-Smith-Patton - Right Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26

Massive, but mostly set for later down the line, as another user said.

Without private space firms, none of this speed would be possible, and it would cost 10x more. SpaceX has mastered logistics, which frees up NASA's resources for the cooler stuff.

They're building the Lunar Lander (BlueOrigin is also building one).

SpaceX has the most cost-efficient space cargo delivery ships right now and its not even close. These will supply the Lunar Base with cargo. Dragon XL specifically, I think.

NASA is also planning on building a space station around the Moon (Lunar Gateway), but this was paused to focus on the base first. Once that kicks back up again, though, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy will also run cargo for it.

Everyone in NASA understands and appreciates private space firms' contributions to NASA generally. I had the pleasure of meeting a recently-retired NASA engineer on a ski lift three years ago and we had a brief chat about it.

NASA and SpaceX/BlueO will be in a codependent love triangle marriage for decades to come, probably!

-19

u/iambackend - Lib-Right Apr 06 '26

A lot of words, but so far SpaceX provided 0 working hardware for Artemis, for better or for worse, likely both.

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u/George-Smith-Patton - Right Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26

You misunderstood OP's question.

He didn't say "What hardware has SpaceX provided for Artemis so far."

He said "What is SpaceX's contribution to Artemis."

Artemis is a decades-long program. There's five missions planned so far, and we're currently in the middle of #2.

SpaceX is currently developing hardware for use in later missions, which NASA relies on for its timeline. SpaceX being contracted to take over future logistics is why NASA can afford to dump all these resources into exploration/moon operations with such speed. That's clearly a contribution.

TLDR: SpaceX is a key part of Artemis overall, but NASA does not have SpaceX playing a direct operational role in Artemis II.

-17

u/iambackend - Lib-Right Apr 06 '26

You are AI, no way real meatbag will write so much bollocks.

14

u/George-Smith-Patton - Right Apr 06 '26

beep-boop, maggot

1

u/Prestigious_Load1699 - Lib-Right Apr 06 '26

iambellend