“American billionaire Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin is suspending tourist flights into space for at least two years to focus resources on developing a lunar lander and technologies for exploring the Earth’s satellite.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
New Shepard rocket. Photo: Getty Images Source: Bloomberg with reference to the company’s statement
Literally: “This decision reflects Blue Origin’s commitment to the national goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent, sustainable lunar presence.”
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Details: The move effectively halts the operation of the New Shepard reusable suborbital rocket, which has already carried more than 90 people to the edge of space. Among the passengers were Jeff Bezos himself, as well as such celebrities as singer Katy Perry, William Shatner and actor Michael Strahan.
The decision signals that Blue Origin is making a major bet on its lunar program, competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for the lead in landing humans on the surface of the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
Blue Origin has a $3.4 billion contract with NASA to develop the Blue Moon lander. This device is designed to transport astronauts to the Moon and back, and the landing itself is tentatively scheduled for 2029.
2026 should be a key year for the company’s lunar ambitions. Blue Origin plans to launch and land a cargo version of its lunar module this year ahead of future manned missions. The company also presented NASA with an accelerated development plan for a lander that could be ready to carry astronauts before SpaceX’s Starship.
In addition, at the beginning of January, Blue Origin announced the creation of the TeraWave satellite communication network, which is scheduled to be deployed by the end of 2027. The company also hired former United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno to work on defense space projects.
We will remind:
- In 2025, Blue Origin launched its ultra-heavy two-stage New Glenn launch vehicle for the first time, capable of launching satellites into orbit and then making a vertical landing on a marine platform.