{"id":9543,"date":"2026-06-05T00:27:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-head-urges-new-launcher-for-blue-origins-moon-landers-to-meet-artemis-mission-deadlines\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T00:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:27:18","slug":"nasa-head-urges-new-launcher-for-blue-origins-moon-landers-to-meet-artemis-mission-deadlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-head-urges-new-launcher-for-blue-origins-moon-landers-to-meet-artemis-mission-deadlines\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA head urges new launcher for Blue Origin\u2019s moon landers to meet Artemis mission deadlines"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_71093\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71093\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-71093\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251008_BlueMoon_mk1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251008_BlueMoon_mk1.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251008_BlueMoon_mk1-300x195.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251008_BlueMoon_mk1-768x499.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-71093\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s rendering of Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander on the surface of the Moon. Graphic: Blue Origin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the wake of the catastrophic explosion of Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket, NASA wants to find an alternative launcher for the first of the company\u2019s Blue Moon landers.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with FOX Business on Thursday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described a \u201cwhole of government response\u201d to the May 28 incident, which badly damaged Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. \u201cWe are also de-coupling the lander from the launch vehicle and the pad itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNASA is laser focused on the lander because we\u2019re laser focused on our mission to return astronauts to the surface of the moon before 2028, and we\u2019re gonna be able to keep that lander in development, progressing, so it\u2019s available for our test mission in 2027, which is Artemis 3, and potentially available to meet our landing objectives in 2028,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a setback that happens in this business. It\u2019s incredibly complicated. A rocket is a controlled explosion, whether you\u2019re going to Earth orbit, 17,500 miles an hour, escape velocity, 25,000 miles an hour, it\u2019s an awful lot of energy, things will happen. We have to learn from it and be ready to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An agency spokesperson confirmed to Spaceflight Now that NASA would like to see the launches of the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander and potentially the Blue Moon Mark 2 crewed lander move to a rocket that\u2019s not New Glenn.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1O90WZJALYc?si=PvMgiPkKKYJBVR4V\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The New Glenn static fire anomaly triggered what was \u201cthe largest explosion\u201d seen at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to Col. Brian Chatman, the commander of Space Launch Delta 45, which encompasses Cape Canaveral and Patrick Space Force Base. Chatman and officials with Blue Origin confirmed the night of the explosion that there were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the blast.<\/p>\n<p>Isaacman and several senior engineers at NASA traveled to Florida the following day to speak with Blue Origin engineers and to survey the damage directly. At the time, Isaacman pledged NASA\u2019s support of Blue Origin in helping to find the root cause and get back to launching New Glenn rockets \u201cas soon as safely possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been saying for months at NASA that we are not going to sit on our hands and wait for the capabilities necessary to achieve the nation\u2019s most pressing objectives,\u201d Isaacman wrote in a post on X. \u201cWe are going to take an active role alongside our partners, just as we did in the 1960s, to overcome setbacks, remove obstacles, and deliver the intended outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73542\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73542\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260602_LC-36_aftermath.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260602_LC-36_aftermath.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260602_LC-36_aftermath-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station showing the aftermath of the New Glenn explosion last Thursday. The rocket itself virtually disintegrated in the blast leaving its transporter-erector in wreckage on the concrete pad\u2019s surface. The large gantry suffered structural damage near its base while the mangled remains of a lightning tower are visible to the right of the pad surface. A large processing hangar (at left) came through the blast without major damage, as did propellant tanks and distribution systems. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Monday, June 1, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp also took to social media to share with the public that the pads propellant storage tanks were \u201call in good shape\u201d and that the large support tower \u201ccan be repaired in place rather than torn down and replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Limp concluded his post by stating, \u201cWe will fly again before the end of this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Not fast enough<\/h4>\n<p>Just days prior to the explosion at Launch Complex 36, Isaacman and others at NASA held a news conference to tout multiple missions that will help either directly build or test technologies needed to support a Moon Base at the south pole of the Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple missions were awarded to Blue Origin and its Blue Moon Mk.1 cargo lander, including the delivery of lunar terrain vehicles to the lunar surface to allow greater mobility for future astronauts on Moon landing missions, like Artemis 4, which is planned for 2028.<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Moon Mk.2 crew lander, a larger version of the Mark 1 lander that includes a crew habitation volume, is slated to launch as part of the Artemis 3 mission as soon as mid-2027. NASA wants to see both it and SpaceX\u2019s Starship lander dock with the agency\u2019s Orion spacecraft to help buy down risk for future lunar landings.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_72895\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72895\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72895\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260310_Apollo_Artemis_landers_comparison.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260310_Apollo_Artemis_landers_comparison.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260310_Apollo_Artemis_landers_comparison-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-72895\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s impression of an Apollo-era lunar module (left) and moon landers being built by Blue Origin (center) and SpaceX (right). Graphic: NASA Office of Inspector General<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Blue Origin officials have said that the Blue Moon landers were designed and optimized to fly as a payload on the New Glenn rocket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the best things about that was being able to work with the New Glenn Team. Having the launch vehicle as the same company\u2019s vehicle as the lander has allowed us to optimize the entire stack, the entire design,\u201d said John Couluris, senior vice president of Lunar Permanence at Blue Origin during it\u2019s NG-3 launch broadcast in April. \u201cSo we\u2019ve gotten a lot more performance out of our lander thanks to New Glenn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During an appearance at CNBC\u2019s CEO Summit earlier this week, Isaacman said the mass and volume of the Blue Moon landers leaves few options for alternative vehicles. \u201cIn terms of heavy lift, you know, real heavy lift, you\u2019ve got, SpaceX and Blue Origin, and obviously one of them is down a pad right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Moon landers were tailored to fit within the seven-meter diameter fairing of a New Glenn rocket. The Falcon Heavy payload fairing has a diameter of 5.2 meters and although the company has developed a taller version, it has not revealed any wider options. Additionally, SpaceX\u2019s launch pads are not equipped to service a hydrogen-fueled lander like Blue Moon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artist\u2019s rendering of Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander on the surface of the Moon. Graphic: Blue Origin In the wake of the catastrophic explosion of Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket, NASA wants to find an alternative launcher for the first of the company\u2019s Blue Moon landers. In an interview with FOX [&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":[718,712,509,190],"class_list":["post-9543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-blue-moon-mk-1","tag-blue-moon-mk-2","tag-blue-origin","tag-nasa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9543"}],"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=9543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9543\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}