This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content SpaceX staged another mostly successful test of its Starship rocket this month. But the company still must demonstrate and master many novel technologies between now and the moon landing — notably, the ability to refuel Starship while in orbit and launch the vehicle roughly a dozen times or more in a row. It’s a daunting to-do list when SpaceX still has not completed a full orbital mission with Starship. Article content Duffy said that opening up the SpaceX contract will ensure the U.S. gets back to the moon ahead of China. He said he anticipates Blue Origin getting involved in the new competition. Article content NASA plans to launch astronauts around the moon as early as next year, a mission known as Artemis II. The space agency’s lunar landing with SpaceX’s Starship is slated for 2027, but critics have doubted that the company’s vehicle will be ready in time. Article content Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Article content