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by Zren 913 days ago
Wait, are they not using Starship to refuel? If they are then that's 1 Crew ship (SLS?) + 1 Starship with 16 round trips. Considering we don't know the failure rate for refueling with Starship, they might need 2-3 Starship rockets.

Actually, are they going to be refueling in orbit with crew on board? Or are they launching a rocket into orbit and refueling it, then launching another rocket with the crew to dock with the fueled rocket?

> NASA says SpaceX’s next Starship flight could test refueling tech

> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38612585

> In 2020, NASA announced agreements with four companies—Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, and a Florida-based startup named Eta Space—to prove capabilities in the area of refueling and propellant depots using cryogenic propellants.

Ah, it's first come first served.

> without astronauts onboard. Once that is successful, NASA will clear Starship for a crew landing on the agency's Artemis III mission, marking the astronauts' return to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

So it seems they'll use a Starship for crew as well?