SpaceX Returning Humans to the Moon Aboard Starship HLS Returning humans to the Moon is a critical milestone in humanity’s expansion into deep space. As Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon provides the ideal proving ground to test new technologies, gain real operational experience beyond low Earth orbit, and prepare for future missions to Mars and beyond Under NASA’s Artemis program, SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) will return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century Beginning with Artemis III, Starship will transport crew members to the Moon’s South Pole, a region of high scientific interest, where astronauts will conduct moonwalks, perform groundbreaking research, and survey sites that could one day support a permanent lunar base. Starship HLS is built upon SpaceX’s fully reusable Starship and Super Heavy launch system. This architecture dramatically reduces mission costs while enabling frequent launches and the delivery of more than 100 tons of cargo per mission. Such capacity is essential for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon and for supporting long-duration missions deeper into the solar system. A cornerstone of Starship’s deep-space capability is in-space refueling. Using orbital propellant depots and dedicated tanker spacecraft, Starship can refuel in Earth orbit before departing for the Moon This approach allows unprecedented payload delivery to the lunar surface, including rovers, habitats, power systems, and other infrastructure required for long-term exploration and settlement. Starship is also engineered to rendezvous and dock with a wide range of spacecraft. Its advanced docking system, derived from the flight-proven Dragon program, enables safe and reliable multi-vehicle operations in space, an essential capability for complex lunar and interplanetary missions On the lunar surface, Starship offers unmatched exploration capability. With a massive pressurized cabin, dual airlocks, and more than 600 cubic meters of habitable volume, astronauts can live and work on the Moon for extended periods This enables exploration of challenging environments such as the lunar poles and lays the foundation for a sustained human presence beyond Earth