{"id":35122,"date":"2025-11-28T06:36:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T06:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/?p=35122"},"modified":"2025-11-28T06:36:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T06:36:59","slug":"jeff-bezos-company-blue-origin-targets-moon-landing-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/jeff-bezos-company-blue-origin-targets-moon-landing-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Bezos\u2019 Company Blue Origin Targets Moon Landing in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin<\/strong> challenges SpaceX<\/a><\/em><\/strong> with its MK1 vehicle<\/strong>, aiming for a Moon landing in 2026<\/strong>. If Blue Origin<\/strong> succeeds, it could once again become an alternative for Artemis 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jeff Bezos\u2019 private space company Blue Origin<\/strong> is closing 2025<\/strong> with remarkable developments. The company successfully conducted its first fully functional orbital New Glenn launch<\/strong> this month. Subsequently, Bezos shared the first images of the company\u2019s Mark 1 (MK1) lunar lander<\/strong>, revealing future plans. According to the statement, MK1<\/strong> will fly to the Moon<\/strong> in early 2026<\/strong> and land in the Shackleton crater<\/strong> located at the lunar south pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASA<\/strong> had selected SpaceX\u2019s Starship<\/strong> rocket for the manned Moon mission; however, delays experienced in Starship HLS<\/strong> (the lunar version of Starship) are creating a new opportunity for Blue Origin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blue Origin Could Replace SpaceX<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This situation shows that Blue Origin<\/strong> could get ahead of SpaceX<\/strong>. In 2021, a US Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit Blue Origin<\/strong> filed against NASA<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, claiming a $2.9 billion contract<\/strong> was unfairly awarded to SpaceX<\/strong>. Now, the company aims to land MK1<\/strong> in the Shackleton crater<\/strong> within the next four months. If successful, the company will take the title of the private company<\/strong> landing on the Moon<\/strong> before SpaceX<\/strong> and gain a strategic advantage<\/strong>. Especially considering delays in SpaceX\u2019s Starship program<\/strong>, the task of transporting NASA\u2019s Artemis 3 astronauts<\/strong> could pass to Blue Origin<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Artemis 3 mission<\/strong> has also experienced various delays and is currently planned for 2028<\/strong>. This mission will be the first time NASA<\/strong> carries humans to the Moon<\/strong> since Apollo 17<\/strong>. While delays are quite natural for space missions, the risk here lies in the US being overtaken by China<\/strong>. China<\/strong> also wants to land humans on the Moon<\/strong> by 2030<\/strong>. Therefore, if SpaceX<\/strong> cannot stick to the schedule, NASA<\/strong> may turn to Bezos\u2019 rockets<\/strong>. Meanwhile, MK1<\/strong>, with its 8-meter height<\/strong>, will be larger than the Apollo lander<\/strong>. Since Artemis astronauts<\/strong> will stay on the lunar surface for about a week, the vehicle’s interior volume becomes more important. However, MK1\u2019s height<\/strong> brings a risk of tipping over<\/strong> during landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pathfinder Mission and Specs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In the mission Blue Origin<\/strong> calls Blue Moon Pathfinder<\/strong>, critical components of MK1<\/strong> such as propulsion systems<\/strong>, avionics hardware<\/strong>, and the BE-7 engine<\/strong> will be tested and verified. The mission will also carry NASA\u2019s SCALPSS<\/strong> (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies) device to collect valuable data about Moon landings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MK1<\/strong> will be launched with Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket<\/strong> and has the capacity to carry up to 3.3 tons (3 metric tons)<\/strong> of payload to the lunar surface. According to Bezos<\/strong>, the company will conduct fully integrated control tests for MK1<\/strong> in the coming period before the Blue Moon Pathfinder launch<\/strong> and plans to complete preparations by the first quarter of 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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