Tag: Blue Origin
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NASA Simplifies Axiom Lunar Suit to Keep 2028 Artemis Landing on Schedule
NASA is developing a simplified version of Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit to reduce schedule risk ahead of the first Artemis crewed landing, now planned for early 2028. Reportedly known internally as the “sortie suit,” the configuration would remove or defer some of the mass, complexity and long-duration capabilities included in the original Axiom Extravehicular Mobility…
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Blue Origin to Study Historic AFRL Rocket Engine Hardware Under Expanded CRADA
Blue Origin and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket and Space Propulsion Division have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement giving the company access to advanced propulsion hardware, engineering data and technical artifacts developed under two historic U.S. Air Force rocket engine programs. The material from the Hydrocarbon Boost and Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator programs…
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Inside the Global Reusable Rocket Engine Race: Who Is Defining the Next-Generation Heart of Spaceflight?
If rocket engines could only be used once, the space economy would remain an expensive one-way journey. But as Falcon 9 first stages repeatedly return to their landing sites and Raptor engines fire again and again aboard Starship, that logic has been fundamentally rewritten: engine reusability is becoming a decisive factor in launch costs, flight…
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Rocket Lab Challenges NASA’s $700 Million Mars Orbiter Award to Blue Origin
Rocket Lab filed a formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office on September 11, challenging NASA’s decision to award Blue Origin a $700 million contract to develop, launch and operate the Mars Telecommunications Network. NASA selected Blue Origin on September 1 for the communications orbiter, which must be delivered by December 31, 2028 and…
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SpaceX and Blue Origin Withdraw From Paris Space Summit After White House Warning
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space and Starcloud withdrew from French President Emmanuel Macron’s International Space Summit in Paris after the White House warned that participation could be interpreted as support for European Union space policies. France’s government confirmed the four withdrawals on September 3, 2026, ahead of the September 9–10 event. The cancellations remove two…
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NASA Moves to Simplify Axiom Lunar Spacesuit as Artemis IV Schedule Tightens
NASA is working with Axiom Space on a lighter and less complex version of its next-generation lunar spacesuit as the agency attempts to preserve a 2028 crewed Moon landing under Artemis IV. The new configuration, referred to as the “Sortie Suit,” is intended for the first Artemis surface missions using lunar landers developed by SpaceX…
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Blue Origin Wins $700 Million NASA Contract for Mars Telecommunications Network (Video)
The Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) “will provide NASA with a high-speed, low cost” communications relay network, according to Blue Origin. Credit: Blue Origin NASA has selected Blue Origin to develop, launch and operate a dedicated communications orbiter for Mars, awarding the company a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million. Announced…
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NASA Awards Blue Origin $700 Million Contract to Build First Commercial Mars Telecommunications Network
NASA has selected Blue Origin to develop and operate a next-generation Mars communications infrastructure under a contract worth up to $700 million, marking one of the agency’s most significant steps toward commercializing deep-space communications services beyond Earth orbit. The firm-fixed-price contract, announced Sept. 1, calls for Blue Origin to design, build, integrate, launch, and operate…
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Hainan Could Become the Hub of China’s Commercial Space Future
The global launch industry is entering a new phase, one defined less by whether rockets can reach orbit and more by how quickly launch capacity can scale. Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim recently pointed to a widening imbalance between the number of satellites waiting to fly and the amount of launch capacity available to carry…
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Decoding the Six Reusable Rockets Successfully Recovered Worldwide
Rocket recovery has evolved from an experimental concept into one of the defining capabilities of modern launch vehicles. By returning and potentially reusing major rocket stages, launch providers aim to reduce costs, shorten turnaround times and support a higher launch cadence. To date, six orbital-class launch vehicles worldwide—Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Starship, New Glenn, Long…