SpaceX’s Starship Ignites Moon-Race Drama: Will NASA Beat China?
SpaceX’s next Starship test (Flight 11) is set for Oct. 13, 2025 (7:15 pm ET), marking the final launch of the current “Block 2” version ts2.tech. Flight 11 will replicate Flight 10’s profile (booster splashdown in Gulf, ship to Indian Ocean) but test new landing techniques and a reinforced heat shield ts2.tech space.com. NASA is betting Artemis III (by ~2027) on Starship for crewed lunar landings, even as China pushes for its first moonwalk by 2030 krgv.com reuters.com. Experts warn NASA’s plan is “extraordinarily complex” krgv.com and may slip; former NASA chief Jim Bridenstine remarked “it doesn’t make a lot of sense… if you’re trying