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Nasa selects Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for first of three uncrewed lunar missions

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • NASA has selected Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, for the first of three uncrewed lunar missions aimed at building a moon base.
  • The missions, starting in 2026, will precede more than a dozen subsequent flights to test systems and equipment.
  • The selection of Blue Origin, over SpaceX for this initial mission, is part of NASA's iterative approach to lunar base construction, leveraging lessons from the Artemis program.

NASA has chosen Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to lead the first of three uncrewed lunar missions, a critical step in its ambitious plan to construct a $20 billion moon base. The announcement, made by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, signals a renewed focus on lunar exploration and development.

People are looking up again, believing in big things again, and paying attention as America returns to the moon again, and this time to stay.

— Jared IsaacmanNASA's administrator described the public's renewed interest in space exploration following the Artemis II mission.

The initial three missions are slated for 2026, with plans for "more than a dozen" additional flights in the following years. These missions will serve to test various systems and equipment necessary for establishing a permanent human presence on the moon. Isaacman emphasized an iterative approach, drawing parallels to NASA's successful strategies in the 1960s, to ensure survival and progress in the moon's harsh environment.

We are not jumping right into the glass dome moon base. We intend to take an iterative approach, sending a demand signal to industry for a lot of landers and rovers and tech demonstrations, and all the scientific payloads these missions can accommodate.

— Jared IsaacmanNASA's administrator outlined the agency's phased strategy for building the moon base.

Blue Origin's contract, valued at $230.4 million per mission for its first two flights, will support the deployment of its Endurance cargo lander. This lander will carry scientific payloads to the Shackleton Crater region at the moon's south pole. The mission's objective is to demonstrate capabilities that will reduce risks for future human landing missions. This selection places Blue Origin in direct competition with SpaceX, which is also vying to provide crew landers for later Artemis missions, including the planned 2028 human return to the moon.

We are leveraging the Nasa playbook from the 1960s, figuring out what works and what doesn’t in this epic science of survival, because the moon base is as beautiful as it is hostile.

— Jared IsaacmanNASA's administrator explained the agency's methodology for lunar base development.

Isaacman noted that NASA has been addressing performance issues with contractors since the recent Artemis splashdown. The agency intends to send a clear demand signal to industry for landers, rovers, and technology demonstrations. This strategic approach aims to build upon the success of the Artemis II mission, which reignited public interest in space exploration and reinforced America's commitment to a sustained lunar presence.

Moon Base One will be the first privately funded lunar lander mission in history.

— Jared IsaacmanNASA's administrator highlighted the significance of the upcoming Blue Origin mission.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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