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Elon Musk acknowledged this development, noting that Zuk3’s hybrid design could someday surpass Falcon 9, though it will take China over five years to match SpaceX’s reliability and production rates for Falcon 9. Musk remains confident that SpaceX’s trajectory—focused on Starship’s massive payload capacity and ambitious lunar plans—will keep the U.S. at the forefront of space exploration for decades to come.
Conclusion: A Race of Innovation and Ambition
As the countdown continues toward Artemis 3 and the broader vision of lunar settlement, SpaceX demonstrates both tangible progress and strategic resilience. The recent hardware sightings and hints at orbital refueling readiness showcase a determined push to meet the 2027 deadline, potentially transforming lunar exploration.