SpaceX's Starship became NASA's ace in the hole to get to the moon by 2024
&gt; The Starship is NASA’s “ace in the hole” for landing people on the moon by 2024 because in its original configuration it needs neither the Orion nor the Space Launch System to take people and cargo to and from the lunar surface.<p>The SLS situation is starting to get more and more awkward. The Falcon Heavy <i>already</i> has a lift capability that&#x27;s about 2&#x2F;3 of the SLS&#x27;s Block 1 lift capability, and it&#x27;s a real, flying rocket that is about an order of magnitude cheaper. And that&#x27;s if it&#x27;s flown expendable. If Starship starts flying then NASA will be pouring money into developing a booster that is worse in every way.<p>They made a bit of a gesture towards &quot;let&#x27;s use Orion but forget about the booster for a while&quot; [1], but then they realized they can&#x27;t dock the Orion to a Falcon Heavy. So now, all 3 of the contracts they&#x27;ve selected for getting to the moon [2] are without SLS at all. Everyone knew SLS was more about jobs than it was about building a good rocket, and now it&#x27;s becoming glaringly obvious. If SpaceX gets Starship flying I think we&#x27;ll see SLS outright cancelled.<p>1. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arstechnica.com&#x2F;science&#x2F;2019&#x2F;03&#x2F;what-is-going-on-with-nasas-space-launch-system-rocket&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arstechnica.com&#x2F;science&#x2F;2019&#x2F;03&#x2F;what-is-going-on-wit...</a>  
2. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arstechnica.com&#x2F;?p=1672180" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arstechnica.com&#x2F;?p=1672180</a>