Blue Origin Submits Moon Lander Proposal

A team led by Blue Origin has presented a proposal to NASA concerning its Human Landing System (HLS). This system is intended to carry astronauts to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis program. Blue Origin is among three organizations chosen by NASA to compete for contracts related to crewed lunar missions, heading a group that includes itself, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper. SpaceX and Dynetics also submitted proposals that met the U.S. space agency’s requirements.

Blue Origin’s submission addresses the “Option A” component of NASA’s HLS request, specifically structured to align with the current 2024 goal for the initial crewed lunar landing within the Artemis series. A separate “Option B” request exists, focused on subsequent missions, including a demonstration flight planned for 2026. NASA is looking for a commercial partner to develop the human landing system, which will be entirely owned by the company selected to build it, with NASA functioning as a client – mirroring the approach used with the Commercial Crew program for transport to the International Space Station.

The HLS is engineered to connect with NASA’s lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the moon and serve as a base for lunar surface access. Astronauts will travel to the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, currently under development, which will be launched by the Space Launch System rocket. Both Orion and the Space Launch System are NASA assets, constructed by contractors (Lockheed Martin/Airbus and Boeing, respectively).

NASA anticipates a future where the Gateway and the moon function as centers for both commercial ventures and scientific exploration. Consequently, the HLS was designed to encourage the development of landing systems capable of serving both NASA and private sector clients.