Senate hearing raises doubts of Artemis
Posted: Sat, Sep 6, 2025, 8:50 AM ET (1250 GMT)
A former NASA administrator warned that it was “highly unlikely” NASA would return astronauts to the moon before China landed astronauts there. Testifying at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday, former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said his doubts stemmed from the very complex Artemis architecture, particularly the Starship lunar lander. “This is an architecture that no NASA administrator that I’m aware of would have selected if they had a choice,” said Bridenstine, who left NASA a few months before the agency awarded SpaceX the Human Landing System contract. He and other witnesses emphasized the importance of Artemis landing astronauts before a Chinese mission anticipated by 2030, while also maintaining a human presence in low Earth orbit.
A former NASA administrator warned that it was “highly unlikely” NASA would return astronauts to the moon before China landed astronauts there. Testifying at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday, former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said his doubts stemmed from the very complex Artemis architecture, particularly the Starship lunar lander. “This is an architecture that no NASA administrator that I’m aware of would have selected if they had a choice,” said Bridenstine, who left NASA a few months before the agency awarded SpaceX the Human Landing System contract. He and other witnesses emphasized the importance of Artemis landing astronauts before a Chinese mission anticipated by 2030, while also maintaining a human presence in low Earth orbit.
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