By Marcia Dunn

Jeff Bezos' rocket company has won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon, two years after it lost out to SpaceX.

Blue Origin received a $3.4 billion contract Friday to lead a team to develop a lunar lander named Blue Moon. It will be used to transport astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2029, following a pair of crew landings by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

NASA will get astronauts to lunar orbit using its own rockets and capsules, but wants private companies to take over from there.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the agency wants different landing options as it seeks a return to the moon more than a half-century after the end of the Apollo moonshots.

Blue Origin is kicking in billions of dollars, on top of the NASA contract, to help establish a permanent presence on the moon.

“We have a lot to do before we successfully land and return astronauts," said John Couluris, a Blue Origin vice president.

Two years ago, Blue Origin sued after NASA awarded SpaceX the contract for the first lunar landing. A federal judge upheld the space agency’s decision.

NASA’s Artemis program, which follows the 1960s and 1970s Apollo moonshots. kicked off with a successful test flight late last year. Launched atop NASA's new moon rocket, an empty Orion capsule went into lunar orbit before returning home.

The next Artemis flight will come late next year when one Canadian and three U.S. astronauts fly to the moon and back, but not land. Two Americans would descend to the lunar surface aboard a SpaceX Starship on the mission after that, no earlier than late 2025.

Like SpaceX, Blue Origin plans to practice landing on the moon without a crew, before putting astronauts on board.

While the shiny, stainless steel Starship has a science fiction look, Blue Moon resembles more of a traditional capsule perched atop a tall compartment with legs. The latter will stand 52 feet (16 meters) on the moon.

Both companies' landers are meant to be reusable.

Blue Origin will use its still-in-development New Glenn rocket to launch its lunar missions from Cape Canaveral. Starship, the world's largest rocket, made its debut last month from South Texas; the test flight ended in an explosive fireball a few minutes into flight.

Blue Origin's team includes five partners: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper, Astrobotic Technology and Honeybee Robotics.

Only one other bid was submitted for the contract competition, according to NASA.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Share:
More In Science
A New-Age Twist on Millenia-Old Remedies
William Li and Danielle Chang, co-founders of The Hao Life, join Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they're shaking up the $71 billion supplement industry by putting a modern spin on traditional natural Chinese remedies.
Coca-Cola Teams With Bill Nye for Its World Without Waste Initiative
The Coca-Cola Company is teaming up with science education personality Bill Nye as part of its World Without Waste Initiative to describe the bottle-to-bottle plastic recycling process through a vividly animated, stop-motion short film. Christine Yeager, director of sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company, North America, joined Cheddar News to talk about their initiative and the partnership. "We really wanted to partner with someone who can help us make recycling relatable, but also has a very um respected voice in the climate change space," she said.
Azelio's Bright Idea: Storage Solar Energy in the Long-Term to Save Money, Resources
Energy costs continue to rise, our electrical grid is outdated, and the focus on renewable energy is more important than ever. One company says it has an answer: pods that store solar energy for long-term, 24-hour usage that can also function as mini power grids and charge electric vehicles. Azelio's TES.PODs store solar energy during the day, and hold it for use around the clock, providing a solution for charging electric vehicles, powering rural areas, and much more. Jonas Wallmander, CEO of Azelio, joins Closing Bell to discuss the company's solar energy storage technology, how it can be used to power communities and build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and more.
Need2Know: Russia-Ukraine War Update, Baby Formula Shortage & Lucky Charms
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 11, 2022, with updates on the Russia-Ukraine War, France’s presidential election, the record deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, retail giant Amazon's objection to the Staten Island union vote, the worsening baby formula shortage, a lawsuit against Rutgers Law School, and a stomach illness possibly linked to Lucky Charms cereal.
Smart Shipping Startup Nautilus Gets Microsoft Climate Investment
Nautilus Labs closed $34 million in funding from investors including the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund. The company plans to use its funding to improve shipping industry efficiency with its software. Nautilus CEO Matt Heider joined Cheddar News to talk about how it tackles the carbon emissions in the global supply chain. "We've seen on 10-day voyages saving $60,000 worth of fuel just by managing speed with greater confidence around the future. The environmental impact of that is also huge," he said. "Saving that amount of fuel is a kind of taking over 1000 cars off the road this year."
Load More