Starship to the Moon: Musk says it takes 6 to 8 launches, not 22

Elon Musk is disputing a NASA safety panel estimate of how many Starship launches it takes to put astronauts on the Moon. At the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's quarterly meeting Thursday, member Charlie Precourt flagged fueling of SpaceX's lunar lander as a major risk for Artemis IV, planned to land a crew in 2028, adding: “I think the last estimate is around 22 flights.” Musk replied on X: “That's way too high. Actual number will be more like 6 to 8.” The gap comes down to refueling: Starship burns nearly all its propellant reaching Earth orbit, so SpaceX plans a depot in orbit that tanker Starships fill one launch at a time.