Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, unveils a full-scale mockup of its new lunar cargo lander, Blue Moon Mark 1.

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon co-founder and chairman Jeff Bezos, has unveiled a mockup of its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar cargo lander. This Blue Moon Mark 1 was designed for NASA's Artemis mission, a manned lunar exploration program.

Blue Moon Mark 1 Lunar Lander | Blue Origin

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And this is the mockup of Blue Moon Mark 1 that was announced this time. It is originally a manned exploration vessel, but since it is a mockup, it is an unmanned full-scale model. You can see that the design has changed significantly from the model announced in 2019. The launch of Blue Moon Mark 1 is scheduled to take place on a large rocket ' New Glenn ' with a diameter of 7 m developed by Blue Origin.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has released a two-shot of Mr. Bezos smiling in front of a mock-up of Blue Moon Mark 1 on X.

Impressive visit to the @blueorigin Huntsville Engine Production Facility! @NASA is proud to partner with Blue Origin, especially on the Blue Moon human landing system, which will help ensure a steady cadence of astronauts on the Moon to live and work before we venture to Mars. pic.twitter.com/7AxwtLuHw4

— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) October 27, 2023

Blue Origin says, 'The Blue Moon Mark 1 is a single-engine lunar cargo lander that can park on the lunar surface, providing safe, reliable and affordable access to the lunar environment. The Mark 1 is a 7m diameter 'We will utilize the New Glenn fairing to provide cargo transportation and transport up to 3 tons anywhere on the lunar surface,' the official website states.

'We are committed to supporting both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 landings to enable day and night moon landings worldwide,' said John Kourlis, Blue Origin's senior vice president of lunar transportation. We are developing a machine.''

Blue Origin has signed an operating contract with NASA for the 5th manned lunar exploration program (Artemis V) scheduled for 2029 for $3.4 billion (approximately 500 billion yen). This Blue Moon Mark 1 is scheduled to be used by astronauts to travel between lunar orbit and the lunar surface in the Artemis project, and Artemis V is scheduled to take place from 2029 to 2030. For Artemis III and Artemis IV, scheduled for late 2025 and 2028, NASA has already contracted with SpaceX, a competing company.

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