Instead of continuing to insist that everything is well with its HLS (its Human Landing System) project - which is based on the upper stage of SpaceX’s giant, still-under-development Starship rocket – SpaceX says it is now working on a “simplified” version of that lander. “In response to the latest calls, we’ve shared and are formally assessing a simplified mission architecture and concept of operations that we believe will result in a faster return to the Moon while simultaneously improving crew safety.” SpaceX provided no further details. This statement came in an unusually detailed – almost 2,000 word – update from SpaceX, which recaps progress on Starship and a sometime-in-2026 test of the orbital refueling necessary for the HLS concept to work. NASA knew of SpaceX’s HLS complexity when it awarded the company a $2.89 billion contract in 2021 (since revised to $4 billion, with $2.7 billion paid so far) to take astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and then back. Howe...