In a significant move towards its ambitious Artemis program, NASA has announced its partnership with Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The collaboration aims to develop a spacecraft that will enable astronauts to travel to the moon’s surface, making Blue Origin the second company to join NASA’s lunar mission after SpaceX.
NASA had previously awarded a $3 billion contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2021 to facilitate the landing of astronauts on the moon for the first time since Apollo’s historic mission in 1972. Now, with the addition of Blue Origin, the Artemis program gains further momentum.
The contract with Blue Origin is valued at approximately $3.4 billion, according to Jim Free, NASA’s exploration chief. However, John Couluris, Vice President of Blue Origin, has indicated that the company’s contribution will exceed that amount.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed excitement about the partnership, stating, “We’re making an additional investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first humans on Mars. Our shared ambitions now are no less lofty than when President [John F.] Kennedy dared a generation of dreamers to journey to the moon.”
Jeff Bezos took to Twitter to express his honor in being part of the endeavor, stating, “Honored to be on this journey with NASA to land astronauts on the Moon — this time to stay.”
As part of the collaboration, Blue Origin plans to develop the Blue Moon lander, a 52-foot (16-meter) spacecraft, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, Boeing spacecraft software firm Draper, and robotics firm Astrobotic. The Blue Moon lander is designed to transport two astronauts to the lunar surface, with the mission scheduled for 2029.
Nelson emphasized the positive impact of the partnership, stating, “Our partnership will only add to this golden age of human spaceflight.” The decision to choose Blue Origin came after competing with defense contractor Dynetics, owned by Leidos.
For Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin, this partnership presents a second opportunity to contribute to NASA’s space projects after losing the contract in 2021. Blue Origin has been actively seeking high-level government space projects to compete with SpaceX, a dominant force in satellite launches and human spaceflight.
The collaboration between NASA and Blue Origin not only advances the Artemis mission but also emphasizes the importance of commercial competition in space exploration. It ensures that NASA has a backup plan for its lunar mission and encourages innovation in the aerospace industry.
Under the Artemis program, NASA plans to utilize multiple spacecraft, including the Space Launch System rocket and the Lockheed-built Orion capsule, to send astronauts toward the moon. The lunar lander, developed by Blue Origin and its partners, will serve as the final stage to ferry the crew safely to the moon’s surface.
With NASA now joined by both SpaceX and Blue Origin, the prospects for renewed human exploration of the moon and future space missions appear brighter than ever. The collaboration between these two pioneering companies marks a significant step towards realizing humanity’s dream of venturing further into the cosmos.
