A thought experiment, to which I’ve gotten little response so far.
So, there's an argument going on in Space X (as opposed to SpaceX) about why we have to continue to waste money on SLS/Orion if we want to beat the Chinese back to the Moon. When I propose alternatives, I get objections like "Dragon can't come back from the Moon," "Nothing else…
— Not-So-OK Boomer (@Rand_Simberg) February 18, 2026
Go back about a decade and develop refueling for the Falcon stage 2 in orbit. The rest simplifies. Falcon Heavy and Starship when and as available.
On-orbit refueling is one of those technologies that Space-X needs to move to the top of the pile…..