There are certainly rumblings about the future of astronaut access to low Earth orbit. This often comes up in the context of commercial space stations, where having access to LEO is obviously imperative, but affordable access is really the distinction. In that respect, it doesn't matter how many certified crew vehicles you have, Dragon, Starliner, or otherwise, if the architecture inherently creates a cost barrier that limits demand. Take a look at where we are at today.. - There are five outstanding and proven SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft still under contract for missions over the next few years. - There are several Boeing Starliner crewed spacecraft that will be modified to address the design issues identified in the PIT report and ultimately certified to launch on ULA's Vulcan. We hope to launch the next uncrewed mission in the months ahead. - Lockheed's Orion, of which I saw the crew and service modules for Artemis III, IV, and V under development this past Friday at KSC. That visit in itself deserves a long-form post about how hard the NASA teams, our contractors, and partners are working to meet this moment for the nation. That amazing fact aside, we have Orion. It is a crew-certified spacecraft and will fly in LEO next year. Certainly not a vehicle optimized for LEO or affordability, but the capability is there. There is no doubt a long future ahead for Orion on a variety of launch vehicles and paired w/ transfer stages. - Both SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing landers to return astronauts to the lunar surface, not to mention affordably delivering mass to the Moon in support of the Moon Base. These programs also have a path to support future crewed LEO needs, be that inherent in their existing plans or paired with other spacecraft. - Other companies, including Blue Origin, have made public comments about internally funding the development of additional crew vehicles. If there is really considerable demand for even more astronaut access to LEO and beyond, then private companies should be able to build the business case and raise the capital. NASA will always be willing to provide subject matter expertise and test facility support for these types of company-funded efforts. And if the capability is there at a lower cost, it is hard to imagine we wouldn't become a customer. In short, there has never been a time when the United States had so many crew-certified spacecraft options available, with others in development, and so much investment moving in the direction of lower costs to make missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond more routine. I would just caution folks against jumping right to NASA funding the business case for every good idea--like why not one more crewed spacecraft. The more NASA gets spread out trying to make everyone happy, the fewer exciting moments we will have like Artemis II and Roman, the fewer X-planes we will put in the sky, and the fewer astronauts we can afford to fly frequently to Earth orbit. The longer programs, like America's long overdue return to the Moon, take to achieve. We need to stay focused on delivering on the national space policy as quickly, safely and affordably as possible.

NASA has given us lots of information of Starship HLS, this is a very real vehicle with tons of work being put into it. SpaceX has nearly completed HLS Cabin One, a 1:1 matching of the real flight cabin for astronaut testing operations. SpaceX will likely show off the hardware for it within 2 months (this month is a high contender) The Artemis III Starship will have its docking system integrated by the end of the year and have its emulator and communications delievered in early 2027, this Ship will perform cryo and static fire tests in Q2 2027. HLS landing legs to be demonstrated in Q2 of 2027 along with Cabin One's airlock. Orbital refueling test of Starship set for Q1 of 2027! Pad LC-37 to be ready in Q1 2027 (already was known) First Cape and V3 booster reflight in Q4 of 2026, this may mean 3 more flights this year? Tank pressurization upgrades to SuperHeavy (?) Uncrewed HLS lannding mission in Q4 2027 with tankers.