SpaceX scientists and engineers are working under pressure to prepare the Starship program to return the US to the Moon, and at least one Texas university is taking part in the project.
Elon Musk's space effort has fallen behind in its planned timeline for getting the program into the sky, and scientists in China are also at work in hope of getting to the Moon first.
To be sure America gets there first, an impatient NASA Administrator Sean Duffy says he'll open the program to other companies, but SpaceX insists it'll have the US on the Moon before China gets there.
The Starship rocket is under development in South Texas, and the University of Houston's Professor Larry Bell says he's been working closely with SpaceX on this program.
Because he's close to the project, he doesn't worry about offering a little criticism with a bit of wit.
"I'm not a big enthusiast of operating on the Moon with that vehicle [SpaceX has designed], but I think as a vehicle for delivery it's pretty cool," he says.
And while the overall design of the program is also cool, he takes exception to details of Starship's outer design.
"The problem of trying to lower the crew from the very top of the rocket down to the surface in something that looks like a window washer's scaffold is, well, I'm very skeptical about that."
But as something of an insider, he also offers much praise for SpaceX founder Elon Musk and his huge team for having the courage to take on the Moon Shot, and he's proud of the involvement of the University.
"We're very much involved in that here at the University of Houston, it's a major activity of ours right now."
And Professor Bell says he's highly enthusiastic about the future, especially because the program to reach the moon is only the beginning -- it'll be the moon and beyond!