Blue Origin Vows to ‘Move Heaven and Earth’ for NASA’s Moon Mission
▼ Summary
– Blue Origin’s CEO expressed readiness to help NASA accelerate human Moon landings and stated the company has ideas to achieve this sooner.
– The company is preparing for the second launch of its New Glenn rocket, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft from Cape Canaveral.
– NASA is reopening the competition for a human lunar lander due to concerns that China may beat the U.S. in returning humans to the Moon.
– Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have existing lander contracts, but NASA has requested options to speed up their development timelines.
– Blue Origin has submitted initial proposals for a faster lunar landing architecture and will soon deliver a full report to NASA.
Blue Origin has declared its full commitment to accelerating NASA’s lunar ambitions, with CEO Dave Limp emphasizing the company’s readiness to “move heaven and Earth” to support a faster American return to the Moon. In a recent interview, Limp stated the firm’s eagerness to assist the United States in reaching the lunar surface ahead of schedule, highlighting that Blue Origin has developed promising concepts to help make that happen.
Limp’s comments came just one day before the scheduled second launch of Blue Origin’s powerful New Glenn rocket. That mission, set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft during a two-hour launch window opening in the afternoon.
The push for speed comes as NASA acknowledges a growing concern: under current Artemis III mission plans, China appears poised to land humans on the Moon before the United States returns. In response, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy announced several weeks ago that the competition for a human lunar lander is being reopened. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin hold existing lander contracts, but NASA has requested proposals for accelerated timelines from each provider.
The present 2027 target for a crewed lunar landing is widely viewed as unattainable using the currently planned systems, SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Mk. 2 lander. Reports from early October indicated Blue Origin had already begun developing a faster architecture, which includes multiple versions of its Mk. 1 cargo lander and a modified variant referred to as the Mk 1.5. According to Limp, the company responded almost instantly after Duffy called for revised proposals.
“We submitted our initial summary right away, and a full report will follow shortly,” Limp noted. He refrained from discussing specifics, suggesting those details should come from NASA, but confirmed Blue Origin has presented ideas believed to shorten the timeline to the Moon. He expressed hope that NASA will give their proposal serious consideration.
(Source: Ars Technica)
