The lander is expected to have a dry mass of about 16 metric tons. Two or four astronauts would then transfer to the lander for a surface mission.īlue Moon is about 52 feet (16 meters) tall and is designed to fit in the 23-foot (7-meter) payload fairing of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which the company is also currently developing. Just like with the Starship lander, astronauts are expected to fly to cislunar space in an Orion spacecraft, launched via NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, to rendezvous and dock with Blue Moon. “This competitive approach drives innovation, brings down costs, and invests in commercial capabilities to grow the business opportunities that can serve other customers and foster a lunar economy.” “Having two distinct lunar lander designs, with different approaches to how they meet NASA’s mission needs, provides more robustness and ensures a regular cadence of Moon landings,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan, manager for NASA’s Human Landing System Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Both will compete for future landings beyond Artemis 5. The other is SpaceX with its Lunar Starship, which is expected to touch down on the lunar surface with a crew as early as 2026 during Artemis 3. Together, they’ll develop the vehicle that will begin landing astronauts on the Moon’s south pole starting with Artemis 5 no earlier than 2029.īlue Origin with its Blue Moon is the second provider selected to land astronauts on the Moon for NASA’s Artemis program. The company is partnered with Boeing, Astrobotic, Lockheed Martin, Draper and Honeybee Robotics. Credit: Blue OriginĪ team led by Blue Origin has been selected by NASA to build a second Human Landing System for the agency’s Artemis program.Ĭalled Blue Moon, the overall lander is being developed by Blue Origin. A rendering of the Blue Moon Human Landing System on the Moon for NASA’s Artemis program.
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