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NASA Selects Blue Origin-Led Team for Lunar Landing System Development
NASA has announced that it has selected a Blue Origin-led team to develop a second lunar landing system for the Artemis program, providing competition with SpaceX and supporting long-term exploration of the moon. The contract is valued at $3.4 billion, but Blue Origin Vice President John Couluris said the entire endeavor will likely cost at least $7 billion. The team beat out one other proposal from Dynetics for this award, which is called Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD).
The SLD award includes an uncrewed and a crewed demonstration landing. NASA aims to use this vehicle alongside Starship to ferry astronauts between the lunar surface and an under-development space station called “Gateway” to enable a permanent human presence on the moon.
Development of Lunar Lander
Under this award, the Blue Origin-led team will develop the landing system for the Artemis V mission, which is currently set to launch no earlier than September 2029. Blue Origin will develop a 52-foot tall lander called Blue Moon and is planning on attempting an uncrewed mission a year before it will take astronauts. According to Blue Origin officials at a press conference, Lockheed Martin will build a “cislunar transporter” spacecraft for lander refueling, Draper will develop the guidance, navigation and control systems, Astrobotic will work on cargo accommodations, Boeing will engineer the docking systems, and Honeybee Robots will be handling the cargo offloading capabilities.
Competition for a Second Landing System
In April 2021, NASA selected SpaceX to develop a Starship human landing system at a price of around $2.9 billion. However, pressure on the agency to select a second vendor mounted from other sources, including Congress. In response, NASA announced it would open competition for a second landing system. For that reason, SpaceX was not eligible to compete for this contract. However, SpaceX and this team will be eligible to compete for future crewed missions to the moon beyond Artemis V.
NASA’s Artemis Program
NASA’s Artemis program aims to maintain a mission cadence of about one per month, with astronauts staying on the moon for up to thirty days at a time. The agency completed the first Artemis mission – Artemis I, which launched in late 2022 – is aiming to launch the follow-up Artemis II late in 2024. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “A second lander and additional, different lander will help ensure that we have the hardware necessary for a series of missions to carry out the science and technology development on the surface of the moon.”
Conclusion
NASA aims to return to the moon and establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface with its Artemis program. To achieve this, it has selected two vendors, Blue Origin-led team and SpaceX, to develop lunar lander systems. The Blue Origin-led team has proposed a vehicle called Blue Moon and will be working with various companies to develop different components of the lunar lander system.
FAQs
What is the Blue Origin-led team developing for NASA?
NASA has selected the Blue Origin-led team to develop a second lunar landing system for the Artemis program.
How much is the contract for the development of the lunar landing system?
The contract is valued at $3.4 billion, but Blue Origin Vice President John Couluris said the entire endeavor will likely cost at least $7 billion.
Who is part of the Blue Origin-led team?
The Blue Origin-led team includes Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics.
What is the purpose of the lunar landing system?
NASA plans to use the lunar landing system to enable a permanent human presence on the moon.
When will the lunar lander system be developed?
Under this award, the Blue Origin-led team will develop the landing system for the Artemis V mission, which is currently set to launch no earlier than September 2029.
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