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Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, has won a contract from NASA to provide a lunar lander for its Artemis V mission, currently scheduled to launch in 2029. The Artemis program is focused on sending astronauts back to the moon to explore the south pole region. For the Artemis III and IV missions, astronauts will land on the moon in a vehicle built by SpaceX. The NASA administrator, Bill Nelson, emphasized the importance of competition, stating, “It means that you have reliability. You have backups.”
NASA will pay Blue Origin $3.4 billion for the lunar lander contract. Blue Origin’s vice president for lunar transportation, John Couluris, said that the company is contributing “well north” of that amount to the development effort. The contract win is an opportunity for Blue Origin to rebound from delays and setbacks, including the failure of one of its New Shepard vehicles during a launch in September 2020.
Blue Origin might also provide some public glimpses of New Glenn, a much larger rocket that is to launch payloads to orbit. Blue Origin built engines for the booster stage of the Vulcan rocket, developed by the United Launch Alliance, which might finally be used on an orbital mission in the coming months.
Blue Origin, working with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, beat a second team led by Dynetics for the lunar lander contract. Blue Origin and Dynetics were both unsuccessful in 2021 when NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX to build a variation of its Starship vehicle.
Competition is a crucial component of NASA’s strategy in commercial space development. Providing redundancy and economic benefits, the agency has turned over the transportation of cargo and crew to the International Space Station to private companies. Given the budget constraints, NASA was originally planning to award two contracts for the lunar lander. However, the agency was only able to award one contract to SpaceX due to budget constraints.
In conclusion, the lunar lander contract win is a promising opportunity for Blue Origin to rebound from setbacks and contribute to NASA’s Artemis program. The company is collaborating with other aerospace companies, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to deliver the lunar lander that is designed to take two astronauts to the moon’s south pole region.
FAQ
What is Blue Origin?
Blue Origin is a rocket company founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
What is NASA’s Artemis program?
NASA’s Artemis program is focused on sending astronauts back to the moon to explore the south pole region.
What is a lunar lander?
A lunar lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the moon’s surface.
What is SpaceX?
SpaceX is a private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk.
What is the significance of competition in commercial space development?
Competition helps drive costs down and provides redundancy in case something goes wrong. It is a crucial component of NASA’s strategy in commercial space development.
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