Blue Origin, founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, is an American aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company. It develops reusable rocket engines, launch vehicles like New Shepard and New Glenn, in-space systems, and lunar landers such as Blue Moon. Blue Origin is also a NASA partner, collaborating on the Artemis program for lunar exploration and working towards a sustainable human presence on the Moon, with partners like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Draper. Key activities include space tourism, satellite deployment capabilities, and advancing technologies to lower space travel costs.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Artemis 5 is scheduled to be the first Artemis mission to use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander after SpaceX’s Starship lands on Artemis 3 and Artemis 4.
Blue Origin and ISRO are interested in using LVM3 to launch crew capsules to service Blue Origin’s commercial space station, Orbital Reef.
Blue Origin won a $3,400,000,000 NASA contract in 2023-05-01 to develop the 2024-03-02 human lunar lander as part of the Human Landing System program.
Blue Origin rolled out a New Glenn pathfinder vehicle to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on 2024-02-21 and performed three fueling tests.
Blue Origin completed tanking tests on the New Glenn pathfinder vehicle and moved the vehicle back to its integration facility on 2024-03-05.
Blue Origin is self-funding two missions of the smaller Blue Moon 2024-03-01 lander to serve as precursors for its HLS missions.
Blue Origin unveiled a full-sized mockup of the Blue Moon 2024-03-01 lander in October.
Blue Origin is planning at least two flights of the Blue Moon 2024-03-01 lander while it develops the 2024-03-02 lander intended to carry people.
Blue Origin plans to launch the first 2024-03-01 version of its Blue Moon lunar lander in 2025.
Blue Origin, Galactic Enterprises, Loft Orbital Federal, and Momentus Space are also among the awarded companies.
Blue Origin Texas, LLC of Van Horn, Texas was awarded a contract to provide services through demonstrated commercial capabilities.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition is monitoring United Launch Alliance’s ability to scale and Blue Origin’s ability to deliver BE-4 engines in a timely manner to support a higher launch cadence.
United Launch Alliance is reportedly up for sale with Blue Origin viewed as the leading bidder to purchase the company.
Blue Origin completed its first BE-4 engine hotfire test at Test Stand 4670 in Huntsville.
Blue Origin uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) for BE-4, which is cleaner-burning and higher-performing than kerosene-based fuels.
Blue Origin is testing BE-4 engines at its facility in Texas.
Blue Origin supplies BE-4 engines for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket while also developing the New Glenn launch vehicle.
Blue Origin continues to work toward a first launch of the New Glenn orbital launch vehicle later 2024.
Blue Origin plans a crewed New Shepard flight that will be the first crewed flight since August 2022.
Blue Origin has not disclosed how many New Shepard flights it plans for 2024.