{"id":18051,"date":"2019-05-16T20:57:13","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T12:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-taps-blue-origin-and-10-other-companies-to-work-on-moon-lander-studies-and-prototypes\/"},"modified":"2019-05-16T20:57:13","modified_gmt":"2019-05-16T12:57:13","slug":"nasa-taps-blue-origin-and-10-other-companies-to-work-on-moon-lander-studies-and-prototypes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-taps-blue-origin-and-10-other-companies-to-work-on-moon-lander-studies-and-prototypes\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA taps Blue Origin and 10 other companies to work on moon lander studies and prototypes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An artist\u2019s conception shows a landing system in lunar orbit. (NASA Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s almost as if Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos knew what was coming: His Blue Origin space venture is among 11 companies selected by NASA to conduct studies and produce prototypes of spacecraft that could carry astronauts down to the moon\u2019s south polar region and back up by 2024.<\/p>\n

Only a week earlier, Bezos unveiled a full-scale mockup of Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon lunar lander, which is designed to deliver payload or people to the lunar surface, as part of his vision to get millions of people living and working in space. At the time, he noted NASA\u2019s accelerated plan to put humans on the moon within five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this,\u201d Bezos said. \u201cIt\u2019s the right thing to do. For those of you doing the arithmetic at home, that\u2019s 2024. We can help meet that timeline, but only because we started three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the world\u2019s richest person will be able to use some of NASA\u2019s money to help make it so. In today\u2019s announcement of the selection, NASA said $45.5 million would be awarded to the 11 companies under the terms of NextSTEP E contracts.<\/p>\n

Podcast:<\/strong> How Jeff Bezos plans to take civilization to space, via the moon<\/h4>\n

The plan calls for the development of a transfer element that would transport astronauts from a stripped-down, moon-orbiting outpost known as the Gateway to low lunar orbit. There\u2019d be a descent element that would make the landing on the moon\u2019s surface, and an ascent element to return the astronauts to the Gateway. NASA also wants companies to work on refueling capabilities for the vehicles, probably taking advantage of hydrogen extracted from the moon\u2019s water ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo accelerate our return to the moon, we are challenging our traditional ways of doing business. We will streamline everything from procurement to partnerships to hardware development and even operations,\u201d Marshall Smith, director for human lunar exploration programs at NASA Headquarters, said in today\u2019s news release.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team is excited to get back to the moon quickly as possible, and our public\/private partnerships to study human landing systems are an important step in that process,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n