The return of humans to the moon continues to take shape. NASA announced that Blue Origin will be responsible for developing the moon landing module for the Artemis V mission.planned for 2029. Thus, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company is joining Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which will develop Starship-based ships that will take astronauts to the lunar surface on Artemis III and Artemis IV.
According to the US space agency, the amount of the contract awarded to Blue Origin is $3.4 billion. For its part, the firm, owned by the founder of Amazon, has agreed to allocate even more money to the project on its own.
The agreement between NASA and Jeff Bezos is not only about the development of the lunar lander that will be used in Artemis V. The contract also includes an unmanned lunar test mission that will take place earlier to make sure all systems are working properly. . It is not yet known when this demonstration will take place, given that the schedule of space launches is usually quite variable.
After all, Just because Artemis V is scheduled for 2029 doesn’t mean it can’t be delayed.. Let’s not forget that the Artemis I mission was only completed on the fifth attempt due to several failed attempts due to technical problems or inclement weather. Added to this are more than 16 delays in the premiere of the spectacular SLS rocket.
“At Artemis V, NASA’s SLS rocket will carry four astronauts into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft. Once Orion docks with the Gateway, the two astronauts will transfer to the Blue Origin lunar landing system for a week-long trip to Earth’s South Pole. the Moon, where they will conduct research activities, ”NASA said in a statement.
Blue Origin to develop second lunar lander for Artemis missions
According to NASA, The Blue Origin lunar lander must meet the same sustainability requirements that were set for SpaceX.. These include the ability to accommodate a larger crew, as well as the ability to transport larger payloads to the Moon and support larger missions.
By choosing Artemis V, Jeff Bezos achieved an important goal. Let’s not forget that at the time, Blue Origin was very critical of the decision to choose SpaceX as the sole contractor for the development and production of the first lunar lander for the Artemis missions. To the point that the company filed a lawsuit against NASA for this determination, which was subsequently dismissed by a judge.
All of this took place during a period of very intense rivalry between the two aerospace companies and their top executives, who threw darts at each other fairly regularly. “You can’t get to the moon with lawsuits. It doesn’t matter how good your lawyers are.”Elon Musk once said about Jeff Bezos.
It is clear that Blue Origin has fulfilled its mission and has become part of the return of humanity to the moon. Now he will have to show that he will cope with this task.
Artemis Calendar
Now that Artemis I is complete, NASA’s space launch schedule for the next few years is very exciting. The closest thing to do is Artemis II, whose crew has already been announced. If there are no problems, this mission will be responsible for the flyby of the moon in mid-2024.
From my side, Artemis IIIwhich is betting on being the first to land astronauts on the lunar surface, will take place in 2025. If completed, it will mark the return to Earth’s natural satellite after Apollo 17 in 1972 using a module based on the SpaceX spacecraft.
It will follow Artemis IVwhich will be the first to dock with Gateway, a small space station that will orbit the Moon and whose first modules will be launched in 2024. Artemis Vwhere the long-awaited debut of the Blue Origin lander will take place.
Source: Hiper Textual
