Work Continues on Blue Origin's Lunar Lander Blue Moon MK1 and MK2 in Preparation for Artemis Missions
The Artemis II mission has concluded, and as previously mentioned, attention is now turning to Artemis III. This mission was initially intended to bring humans back to the lunar surface; however, following NASA's strategy shift, it is now focused on a low Earth orbit (LEO) mission to test the two lunar landers that will serve from Artemis IV onwards (in 2028).
Currently, the plans of the U.S. space agency foresee a launch of Artemis III around mid-2027, with the possibility of postponing it to the end of next year. The delays are largely attributed to the preparations for the Starship HLS lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Moon MK2 from Blue Origin. NASA has yet to choose which of the two versions it will employ for Artemis IV, although Starship was initially considered due to winning the contract in previous years.
Blue Origin and the Lunar Landers Blue Moon
The next test of Starship (Flight 12) could happen by the end of this week, but not on the initially planned day due to an issue during the Wet Dress Rehearsal on Saturday, which was correctly carried out just a few minutes ago today. In the meantime, Blue Origin is continuing tests on Blue Moon MK1, a smaller cargo lunar lander than Blue Moon MK2 and lacking life support systems. These two versions will share some hardware, so a positive outcome for MK1 could benefit the company in developing MK2. The launch of MK1 is expected by the end of the year, while a second unit should be launched in the first half of next year.
In late April, Blue Origin announced that Blue Moon MK1 Endurance was completing launch stress tests, being connected to a simulator of the payload support for the second stage (GS-2) of the New Glenn rocket and measuring frequencies generated during the launch using accelerometers. Subsequently, the unit was placed inside the test chamber for radio frequency compatibility. The company is also developing the payload release system, particularly for the second mission when the NASA VIPER lunar rover will be brought to the lunar surface in 2027.
Demonstrating VIPER's path from lander to lunar surface 🌕
After Blue Moon MK1, it will be time for Blue Moon MK2, which will be used (possibly) during the Artemis III mission, then perform an uncrewed test on the lunar surface, and may ultimately be used in one of the future Artemis missions.
Blue Origin has several mockups at NASA's facility. Specifically, within the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center, there are at least two test versions for conducting tests. One is inside a pool to experiment with operations wearing lunar suits and simulating reduced lunar gravity. A second mockup is useful for developing the operations astronauts will perform during their stay on the Moon. This latter model is a full-size representation showing the actual dimensions of Blue Moon MK2 (though without the upper area of the liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks).
As explained by the space agency, "NASA is collaborating with two American companies to develop the human landing systems that will safely transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar surface and back for the Artemis program. The Blue Origin lander, launched uncrewed aboard the company's New Glenn rocket, will meet the astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit. Two astronauts will board the Blue Moon lander, which will take them to the lunar surface and bring them back to the other crew members aboard the Orion capsule in lunar orbit at the end of their stay on the surface."
This lunar lander will have an overall height of 16 meters. As can be seen, the pressurized cabin area will be at the base. Its dimensions, while not as large as those of Starship, will still exceed those of the lander from the Apollo missions, allowing astronauts to eat, sleep, and conduct scientific experiments.