{"id":17294,"date":"2023-05-20T01:42:15","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T17:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/blue-origin-led-team-wins-3-4b-contract-for-nasas-second-lunar-landing-system\/"},"modified":"2023-05-20T01:42:15","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T17:42:15","slug":"blue-origin-led-team-wins-3-4b-contract-for-nasas-second-lunar-landing-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/blue-origin-led-team-wins-3-4b-contract-for-nasas-second-lunar-landing-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Origin-led team wins $3.4B contract for NASA\u2019s second lunar landing system"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-774483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/230519-blueorigin.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">An artist\u2019s conception shows the integrated design for the Blue Moon lander. (Blue Origin Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>An industry team led by Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture has won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to provide a second type of landing system for crewed as well as uncrewed lunar landings.<\/p>\n<p>The decision announced today settles a years-long controversy over how astronauts would get to the moon\u2019s surface: SpaceX\u2019s Starship system would be used for the first two crewed landings during the Artemis 3 and 4 missions, currently scheduled for as early as 2025 and 2028. Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon system would be used for Artemis 5, currently set for 2029.<\/p>\n<p>All those missions would target the moon\u2019s south polar region, which is thought to be one of the moon\u2019s most promising places for long-term settlement. Both types of landers could be available to NASA for missions beyond Artemis 5.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur partnership will only add to this golden age of human spaceflight,\u201d NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at the agency\u2019s HQ in Washington, D.C. \u201cOur work with commercial and international partners is keeping people fixated on the stars. \u2026 With today\u2019s announcement, we are making an additional investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first humans on Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a tweet, Bezos said he was \u201chonored to be on this journey with NASA to land astronauts on the moon \u2014 this time to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 250px; height: 535px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1659576309432090625&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2023%2Fblue-origin-lunar-landing-system%2F&amp;sessionId=3dae33ebf8e14619c263ccf8e5f2c4fc44d11b2d&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1659576309432090625\"><\/iframe><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Blue Origin\u2019s main partners on what\u2019s known as the National Team include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper, Astrobotic and Honeybee Robotics (which is a Blue Origin subsidiary). The National Team beat out a bid from a team led by Alabama-based Dynetics, which also included Northrop Grumman (a former National Team partner). <\/p>\n<p>Jim Free, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for exploration systems development, said in a source selection statement that Blue Origin\u2019s bid offered \u201cabundant value\u201d and provided the \u201cleast risky and most advantageous technical and management approaches\u201d for meeting NASA\u2019s goals, \u201cat a substantially lower price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nelson said Blue Origin\u2019s team would be providing \u201cskin in the game,\u201d amounting to more than what the space agency would be paying. John Couluris, Blue Origin\u2019s vice president for lunar permanence, said the company would be contributing \u201cwell north of $3.4 billion as part of this effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Moon concept calls for an integrated lander that can be refueled in lunar orbit with liquid hydrogen and oxygen and reused for \u201cmultiple years and multiple missions,\u201d Couluris said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe worked that in expressly for this proposal to provide large margins above the NASA requirements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Astronauts would be sent to a moon-orbiting outpost known as the Gateway in NASA\u2019s Orion capsule, and then transfer to Blue Moon for the weeklong trip down to the surface and back.<\/p>\n<p>Two uncrewed pathfinder test missions would be sent to the lunar surface, starting as early as next year, and the reusable lander would be tested for NASA in a crewless configuration one year before astronauts climb in for the first time for Artemis 5.<\/p>\n<p>Couluris said the cargo version of the Blue Moon lander can put up to 20 metric tons on the lunar surface in its reusable configuration, and as much as 30 tons in an expendable configuration \u201cto form the foundation of habitats and other permanent infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lockheed Martin would provide a cislunar transporter that could travel between low Earth orbit and lunar orbit to refuel the Blue Moon system, Couluris said. <\/p>\n<p>In addition to NASA, \u201ca number of commercial entities\u201d are interested in using Blue Moon\u2019s capabilities, he said.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX was chosen as the sole provider for the Artemis program\u2019s first lunar landing in 2021 due to budgetary limitations, sparking legal challenges from Blue Origin and Dynetics. Lawmakers pressed for NASA to support a second landing system \u2014 and Nelson agreed with that sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want more competition,\u201d he said today. \u201cWe want two landers, and that\u2019s better. It means you have reliability, you have backups. It benefits NASA. It benefits the American people. These are public-private partnerships. It\u2019s the new way that we go to the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the fact that NASA gave its nod to a team led by Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin \u201cis great news for Washington state and our growing aerospace industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur state has long been a leader in aerospace innovation and played a key role in so many of our nation\u2019s milestones in space \u2014 so it\u2019s fitting that Kent\u2019s own Blue Origin was chosen to develop a human landing system for NASA\u2019s Artemis 5 mission,\u201d Murray said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who was one of Congress\u2019 strongest advocates for funding a second type of lunar lander, also hailed today\u2019s NASA announcement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a new space race going on, and we\u2019re proud that Washington companies are going to help us win it by putting&nbsp;more Americans on the moon and placing us on stronger footing to get to Mars,\u201d Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said in a news release. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo years ago, the Senate, the NASA administrator, safety experts and a group of retired astronauts all knew the importance of maintaining competition&nbsp;in the Artemis program,\u201d she said. \u201cToday\u2019s decision finally applies a best practice developed over many space programs: Increasing competition and having a backup plan makes our astronauts safer and protects the taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin says its National Team includes several Washington state companies as partners and suppliers: Baker Manufacturing, Electroimpact, Janicki Industries, Machine &amp; Fabrication, Machine Repair &amp; Design, Machinists Inc., McNeeley MFG, Motion Industries and Specialty Metals Corp. <\/p>\n<p>Couluris said the National Team\u2019s members are feeling \u201cabsolutely fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud of this team, across the entire National Team,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is step one, though. We have a lot to do before we successfully land and return astronauts. We\u2019ve been working for some time, and we\u2019re still ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artist\u2019s conception shows the integrated design for the Blue Moon lander. (Blue Origin Illustration) An industry team led by Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture has won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to provide a second type of landing system for crewed as well as uncrewed lunar landings. The decision announced today settles a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,1508,509,670,4572,4573,472,2043,625],"class_list":["post-17294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-blue-moon","tag-blue-origin","tag-boeing","tag-draper-lab","tag-honeybee-robotics","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-lunar-lander","tag-moon"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}