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Good news arrived for Kent-based Blue Origin Friday morning, but it may not have the aerospace company feeling over the moon — instead, it's heading straight for the lunar surface.
Blue Origin announced Friday that NASA has awarded it a $3.4 billion contract for "NextSTEP-2 Appendix P Sustaining Lunar Development." In human speak, that means the company is on a national team to develop a vehicle to take people between Earth and the moon, as well as a lander that can transport people to the surface.
Other members of this lunar lander team include Boeing, Astrobotic, Draper, Honeybee Robotics, and Lockheed Martin.
"Today we are excited to announce Blue Origin will build a human landing system as NASA’s second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “We are in a golden age of human spaceflight, which is made possible by NASA’s commercial and international partnerships. Together, we are making an investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first astronauts on Mars.”
Blue Origin announced Friday that NASA has awarded it a $3.4 billion contract for "NextSTEP-2 Appendix P Sustaining Lunar Development." In human speak, that means the company is on a national team to develop a vehicle to take people between Earth and the moon, as well as a lander that can transport people to the surface.
Other members of this lunar lander team include Boeing, Astrobotic, Draper, Honeybee Robotics, and Lockheed Martin.
"Today we are excited to announce Blue Origin will build a human landing system as NASA’s second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “We are in a golden age of human spaceflight, which is made possible by NASA’s commercial and international partnerships. Together, we are making an investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first astronauts on Mars.”
Blue Origin wins NASA contract to the moon
Posted from kuow.org
Kent
Space
NASA
Government Contracts
Boeing
Posted 12 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."John Couluris, Blue Origin vice president for lunar transportation, said the company expects to chip in "well north" of the contract value to fully develop its "Blue Moon" lander, pushing the total cost of the project to around $7 billion. The first piloted landing, part of the fifth Artemis mission, is expected in the 2029 timeframe.
"On behalf of Blue Origin and the national team, I want to thank NASA personally," said Couluris. "We're very honored and humbled to be part of this incredible experience. We're looking forward to participating on Artemis 5, and we're looking forward to working together."
Blue Origin's national team includes Lockheed Martin, which will provide a refueling and servicing spacecraft; Boeing, which will supply docking technology; Draper, supplying guidance, navigation and simulator technology; Astrobotic Technology, with expertise in payload accommodations; and Honeybee Robotics to handle cargo delivery systems.
The contract requires Blue Origin to fly an unpiloted dress-rehearsal landing before astronauts float aboard and descend to the lunar surface during the Artemis 5 mission. That flight will follow the initial Artemis 3 moon landing, using SpaceX's lander, in the 2025-26 timeframe.
"We want more competition," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "We want two landers. That's better. It means that you have reliability, you have backups. It benefits NASA. It benefits the American people. ... It helps NASA share the risk, the technical risk, and the financial risk to enable, at the end of the day, mission success."...
..."John Couluris, Blue Origin vice president for lunar transportation, said the company expects to chip in "well north" of the contract value to fully develop its "Blue Moon" lander, pushing the total cost of the project to around $7 billion. The first piloted landing, part of the fifth Artemis mission, is expected in the 2029 timeframe.
"On behalf of Blue Origin and the national team, I want to thank NASA personally," said Couluris. "We're very honored and humbled to be part of this incredible experience. We're looking forward to participating on Artemis 5, and we're looking forward to working together."
Blue Origin's national team includes Lockheed Martin, which will provide a refueling and servicing spacecraft; Boeing, which will supply docking technology; Draper, supplying guidance, navigation and simulator technology; Astrobotic Technology, with expertise in payload accommodations; and Honeybee Robotics to handle cargo delivery systems.
The contract requires Blue Origin to fly an unpiloted dress-rehearsal landing before astronauts float aboard and descend to the lunar surface during the Artemis 5 mission. That flight will follow the initial Artemis 3 moon landing, using SpaceX's lander, in the 2025-26 timeframe.
"We want more competition," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "We want two landers. That's better. It means that you have reliability, you have backups. It benefits NASA. It benefits the American people. ... It helps NASA share the risk, the technical risk, and the financial risk to enable, at the end of the day, mission success."...
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COOL AND INNOVATIVE: PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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