Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin unveils the Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lunar cargo lander that is planned to be launched within three years and remain on the lunar surface. In addition to providing safe, reliable, and affordable access to the lunar environment, it offers cargo transport, leveraging the 7-meter fairing of the New Glenn launch vehicle, to deliver up to three metric tons anywhere on the Moon.
The Pathfinder Mission (MK1-SN001), set to launch by 2027, is a demonstration mission, with MK1-SN002 and beyond available to payload customers. MK1-SN001 should test all of its critical systems, including the BE-7 engine, cryogenic fluid power, propulsion systems, avionics, continuous downlink communications, and precision landing within 100 meters (328 feet) site accuracy, ahead of the uncrewed NASA Human Landing System mission for the Artemis program. In related news, Blue Ring (below), a spacecraft platform focused on providing in-space logistics and delivery, will serve commercial as well as government customers and can support a variety of missions in medium Earth orbit out to the cislunar region. It can host payloads of over 3,000 kg and provides great mission flexibility.
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Blue Ring addresses two of the most difficult challenges in spaceflight today: growing space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit. We’re offering our customers the ability to easily access and maneuver through a variety of orbits cost-effectively while having access to critical data to ensure a successful mission,” said Paul Ebertz, Senior VP of Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems.
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