Blue Origin is Building Several Blue Moon Lunar Landers for Artemis, Repairs at Pad LC-36A Continue
At the end of May, a huge explosion occurred at the launch site LC-36A, where Blue Origin operates. The exact cause has not yet been disclosed, but the catastrophic event took place during the static fire of the large New Glenn rocket that was supposed to launch the NG-4 mission (the first for Amazon Leo). The shockwave severely damaged many nearby structures, blocking Jeff Bezos's company launches for months.
According to Dave Limp (CEO of Blue Origin), the U.S. company intends to return to launching New Glenn by the end of the year. It is a very complex challenge and a real "race against time". Blue Origin plans to make some modifications to the ground systems to allow for an increased launch cadence in the future. Restoration operations appear to be progressing very quickly, and the latest updates are encouraging.
Blue Origin, News on New Glenn and Blue Moon
According to available information, the initial restoration phases of pad LC-36A (such as securing the site and cleaning up debris) have been completed even ahead of schedule. Blue Origin estimated it would take 29 days, but it only took 21 days, allowing them to move on to the next phase. According to reports from Space News, the company has recovered components from all seven BE-4 engines of the first stage and parts from the two BE-3U engines of the second stage. This will clarify what happened during the test. As announced by Limp, the company is disassembling the side support tower to repair it and make planned modifications (such as integration with the propellant transport system, which was previously on the transporter-erector).
NASA is assisting Blue Origin thanks to the experience gained with pad LC-39B (from where the Space Launch System is launched, damaged during the first launch of SLS). This support will be for both LC-36A and the construction of new structures at the second launch pad, LC-36B, dedicated to both New Glenn 7x2 and the more powerful version, New Glenn 9x4. The second launch pad is expected to be ready by the end of 2027, while a third pad is planned in California, at Vandenberg Space Force Base (Space Launch Complex 14).
Blue Origin is also engaged in developing the Blue Moon lunar landers for missions under the Artemis program. According to John Couluris (SVP for lunar operations at Blue Origin), there are four Blue Moon MK1 lunar landers in different stages of production. The first, named Endurance, was supposed to be launched by the end of 2026, but the New Glenn explosion has delayed the launch to Q1 2027. Testing is currently in the final phase, after which it will be put on standby until the first opportunity for launch.
The second Blue Moon MK1, which will carry NASA's VIPER rover to the Moon, is in advanced construction and will launch later in 2027. There are also two MK1 landers that are in the early stages of assembly and will carry Lunar Terrain Vehicles built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, with the launch expected no earlier than 2028.
Of course, we cannot overlook the Blue Moon MK2 lunar landers, intended to host the Artemis crews. The first will be a prototype to be used during Artemis III, with launch expected in the second half of 2027. Astronauts will be able to enter the crew section, but there will not be a complete propulsion system.
As previously shown, Blue Moon MK2 is also assembling two other Blue Moon MK2 landers, nicknamed Alpha. One will be used for a crewless demonstration mission on the Moon in 2028. A requirement the NASA has asked both partners to demonstrate the reliability of the architecture. Due to the phasing out of Lunar Gateway, the space agency and Blue Origin are working to optimize its structure for new orbital trajectories, as it will no longer need to reach the Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO).