NASA Awards Blue Origin Contract to Deliver Lunar Rovers

NASA has selected Blue Origin to deliver lunar terrain vehicles to the moon's south pole as part of its decade-long plan to establish a base in the region. Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the move during a news briefing at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. "America is returning to the moon," Isaacman said. "We are working alongside our many international and commercial partners to leverage the incredible capabilities from commercial industry to build a moon base for all we hope to accomplish in this endeavor."

The space agency awarded Blue Origin an initial $188 million contract to prepare its robotic Blue Moon Mark 1 lander for delivering the lunar terrain vehicles, or LTVs. That deal includes an option period worth an additional $280.4 million for two task orders, contingent on the company's performance during the initial phase.

Carlos Garcia-Galan, program manager for NASA's Moon Base program, described the LTVs as "a mix between the Apollo lunar roving vehicle and the Mars-style rover." Each rover weighs a little less than one metric ton and will fold up to fit aboard Blue Origin's lander for the journey. The first LTV is scheduled to reach the lunar surface in advance of the Artemis 4 mission's crewed landing, currently planned for 2028.

One LTV will be built by California-based Astrolab, with Seattle-based Interlune as a subcontractor. Interlune will collaborate on aspects of rover development focused on the science of survival in the lunar environment. Its Research Lab in Texas will produce varieties of simulated moon dirt for testing Astrolab's CLV-1 rover. The second LTV is Lunar Outpost's Pegasus rover, developed in partnership with General Motors, Goodyear and Leidos.

Both rovers are designed to travel at speeds of up to 10 kilometers per hour, carrying up to two astronauts on 10-kilometer trips. They can also conduct robotic excursions with a maximum range of 200 kilometers. Astrolab is receiving a $219 million contract, while Lunar Outpost's contract is worth $220 million.

Blue Origin, based in Kent, Wash., said in a statement posted to X that it was proud to support NASA's plans for a permanent presence in the moon's south polar region. CEO Dave Limp added on social media, "Since the beginning, Blue Origin has been committed to Lunar Permanence. Thank you, @NASAadmin, for sharing that vision. We're ready to make it a reality."

NASA is also preparing a fleet of rocket-powered MoonFall drones for reconnaissance and communications. These will be built by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and delivered to the moon by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace's Elytra Dark spacecraft under a $75 million contract for four-drone delivery. The Moon Base program could begin as early as this fall with the launch of Blue Origin's first Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, named Endurance, which is currently undergoing preflight testing and will carry several payloads including a retroreflector system for gauging distances.