NASA absolutely got to set some specifications on the cargo and crew Dragons, and I'd expect there's at least some consideration to their potential requirements and quiet communication with NASA in Starship's design as well.
There'll be quite a few specifics on the HLS award variant (which, hilariously, still manages to shoehorn an Orion capsule into the plan, at least for now). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_HLS
> hilariously, still manages to shoehorn an Orion capsule into the plan, at least for now
Why is this hilarious? It makes perfect sense for the mission to me. The HLS probably isnt going to return to Earth, and even if it did have that capability, it seems extremely unlikely that we will have humans on a propulsively landed Starship by the end of the decade. Id be much more concerned if Orion wasnt part of the plan
It's hilarious because the mental image it gives me is like when a toddler helps with the groceries by carrying one small item into the house while I tackle all the rest of the bags.
It's the big prestige NASA capsule and it's like a toy besides a Starship.
Right but its a toy that will actually be human rated for flights from and landings on Earth. Sure its not big or flashy, but it will get the job done.
One wonders if that Orion capsule is designed to be interchangeable with some other payload with another function that the US might like to be able to continue to use.
There'll be quite a few specifics on the HLS award variant (which, hilariously, still manages to shoehorn an Orion capsule into the plan, at least for now). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_HLS