Blue Origin is prepared to assist NASA in accomplishing its objectives regarding the prompt return of humans to the Moon, according to the company’s CEO who spoke with Ars on Saturday.
“Our aim is simply to support the US in reaching the Moon,” articulated Dave Limp, CEO of the aerospace company established by Jeff Bezos. “Should NASA seek to expedite the process, we would shift mountains, pun intended, to help achieve an earlier lunar arrival. I believe we possess some sound proposals.”
Limp made these remarks on Saturday, roughly 24 hours before the company’s upcoming second launch of the substantial New Glenn rocket. This mission, carrying the ESCAPADE spacecraft for NASA, has a launch window starting at 2:45 pm ET (19:45 UTC) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, lasting just over two hours.
NASA aims for a swifter return
This year, it has become evident that if NASA adheres to its current plans for the Artemis III lunar landing mission, China is likely to outpace the United States in sending humans back to the Moon. Recognizing this, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy mentioned approximately three weeks ago that the agency was resuming the competition for a human lander.
Both SpaceX and Blue Origin hold contracts for human landers, yet the government has requested both providers to explore options to quicken their timelines. NASA’s current target landing date stands at 2027, but this appears challenging with the existing designs of SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s large Mk. 2 lander.
Ars exclusively reported in early October that Blue Origin had initiated work on a more rapid architecture, incorporating several models of its Mk. 1 cargo lander along with a modified version of this vehicle currently dubbed Mk 1.5. Limp stated that following Duffy’s request for updated proposals, Blue Origin reacted almost immediately.
“We’ve forwarded our preliminary summary of that, and we have a comprehensive report on the way shortly,” he conveyed. “I won’t delve into specifics as I believe that information is for NASA to disclose, not us, but we have concepts that we think could hasten the journey to the Moon. And I hope NASA will examine them closely.”
