NASA picks Bezos's Blue Origin to develop Artemis V moon lander

NASA has chosen Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to develop the lander for one of its missions that will send astronauts back to the moon. 

The agency said in a Friday release the company will be responsible for designing, developing, testing and verifying its lander to meet NASA’s human landing system requirements for multiple expeditions to be used for its Artemis V mission. 

The company will also have an uncrewed demonstration mission to the moon’s surface before a crewed demonstration on the Artemis V mission scheduled for 2029. 

“We are in a golden age of human spaceflight, which is made possible by NASA’s commercial and international partnerships,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the release. “Together, we are making an investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first astronauts on Mars.” 

The announcement also noted NASA previously set up a contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to demonstrate an initial human landing system for Artemis III — which is set to bring the first humans in half a century back to the moon’s surface in 2025 — and demonstrate a lander for Artemis IV. 

NASA’s rocket will launch four astronauts into lunar orbit on the Orion spacecraft for Artemis V. The spacecraft will dock, and two of the astronauts will then go to Blue Origin’s human landing system for about a weeklong trip on the moon’s south pole area to “conduct science and exploration activities.” 

The release states adding another partner for the Artemis program will increase competition, reduce costs for taxpayers, support regular lunar landings, further invest in the “lunar economy” and help NASA achieve its goals on the moon to plan for future missions to Mars. 

“Artemis V is at the intersection of demonstrating NASA’s initial lunar exploration capabilities and establishing the foundational systems to support recurring complex missions in lunar orbit and on the surface as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach,” the release states. 

Blue Origin said in a release it will develop and fly a lander that can make a precise landing anywhere on the moon’s surface. It also featured a rendering of how the lander that is used for Artemis V will appear. 

“Blue Origin and its partners are already at work and are excited to be on this journey with NASA,” the release states. 

NASA’s announcement comes after the agency unveiled the crew for its Artemis II mission last month. The mission, which is scheduled for late next year, will have the crew orbit the moon and possibly reach the furthest point any human has reached in space.