Blue Origin Leads New Space Industry Alliance for NASA Moon Mission
Jeff Bezos reveals a collaborative "national team" featuring major aerospace companies to build NASA's Human Landing System. The partnership aims to put the next American man and first American woman on the Moon by 2024.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos announces a new "national team" of aerospace partners to help NASA return humans to the Moon. This industry alliance focuses on developing the Human Landing System for NASA's Artemis program, with the goal of landing the first American woman and the next American man on the lunar surface by 2024.
Blue Origin acts as the lead contractor and handles program management, systems engineering, and mission assurance while providing the descent element powered by its BE-7 engine. Lockheed Martin takes responsibility for building the Ascent Element vehicle, and Northrop Grumman constructs the Transfer Element to deliver the landing system to the Moon.
Nonprofit organization Draper leads the descent guidance and flight avionics, bringing legacy experience from the original Apollo program. Bezos highlights the deep expertise of each partner, noting Northrop Grumman's history with ISS cargo landers and Lockheed Martin's unmatched Mars surface landing capabilities.