Nelson also emphasized the importance of collaboration and investment in space infrastructure, describing it as a crucial step toward landing the first astronauts on Mars.
This announcement comes amidst growing competition among private companies seeking a prominent role in space activities and vying for lucrative government contracts.
In April 2021, NASA awarded a $2.89 billion contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX to develop a human landing system for the Artemis program.
Blue Origin, in collaboration with defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as spacecraft software firm Draper and robotics company Astrobotic, will build a 16-meter (52-foot) tall lander. Notably, these companies were also part of the unsuccessful bid in 2021 that Blue Origin contested in court after losing to SpaceX.
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com and Blue Origin, expressed his honor and excitement about the opportunity to work with NASA in a tweet following the announcement. He stated, “Honored to be on this journey with @NASA to land astronauts on the Moon—this time to stay.”
