Members of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel believe the Human Landing System version of Starship won’t be ready for Artemis 3’s launch in 2027.

As the New York Times reports, experts are now warning that China could beat the United States in the race back to the Moon. After a series of successful robotic missions to the Earth’s natural satellite, the country has made major strides in its efforts to launch its “Lanyue” lunar lander to the Moon before 2030.

In test flights 5, 7, and 8, SpaceX achieved the impressive feat of bringing the 71-meter-tall booster back to the launchpad at Starbase in southern Texas, using giant mechanical arms on the launch tower to secure the vehicle just above the ground.

NASA has named its new class of astronaut candidates. The space agency introduced the four men and six women who comprise its 2025 trainee group.

The candidates have to do two years of training before they're eligible for flight assignments supporting future missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.

“The HLS schedule is significantly challenged and, in our estimation, could be years late for a 2027 Artemis 3 Moon landing,” said panelist Paul Hill, who is a former director of Mission Operations at Nasa. “The next six months of Starship launches will be telling about the likelihood of HLS flying crew in 2027 or by the end of the decade.”