spacetoday.net: NASA picks Blue Origin for second Artemis lunar lander

Posted: Sat, May 20, 2023, 10:27 AM ET (1427 GMT)
Blue Origin Blue Moon Artemis lunar lander (Blue Origin)

Blue Origin will develop a second lander for taking astronauts to the surface of the moon, NASA announced Friday. NASA selected Blue Origin to develop the lander under a $3.4 billion award through its Sustaining Lunar Development effort. Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander will be designed to carry up to four NASA astronauts for stays of as long as 30 days. Blue Origin says the lander will be reusable, refueled in lunar orbit by a "cislunar transporter" vehicle developed by Lockheed Martin. Other members of Blue Origin's team include Boeing, Draper, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics. Blue Origin beat out a bid from a team led by Dynetics. The lander will first be used on the Artemis 5 mission at the end of the decade, after two landing missions using SpaceX's Starship.