In article ,
says...
4. Full speed ahead on commercial LEO propellant depots. You don't need
SLS if you can refuel your upper stage in LEO. Doubly true for
refueling the lunar lander(s). Landers can become reusable if an
additional propellant depot is attached to Gateway (I'm assuming it
can't be killed).


I'm not a fan of propellant depots. They restrict orbital plane and
such you can refuel in. It still makes more sense to me to use
'tankers' and launch them as you need them.


Fine, if no depot, then you launch tankers into the correct orbit to
refill an appropriately sized upper stage. The point remains, you don't
need a super big HLV if you already have launch vehicles which can get
your bits into earth orbit (which for a landing mission would be a
crewed lunar lander and Orion).

Jeff
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