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Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, secures NASA contract for the construction of a lunar lander for astronauts.

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Blue Origin, the space exploration company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has secured a contract with NASA to build a lunar lander for astronauts. The contract is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024.

The lunar lander, called the Blue Moon, will be designed to carry astronauts and cargo to the moon’s surface. It will be able to land anywhere on the moon’s surface and will be capable of carrying up to 6.5 metric tons of cargo.

The Blue Moon will be powered by Blue Origin’s BE-7 engine, which uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel. The engine is designed to be highly efficient and reliable, making it ideal for use in space exploration.

The contract with NASA is a major milestone for Blue Origin, which has been working on the development of the Blue Moon for several years. The company has already conducted successful tests of the BE-7 engine, and has also developed a prototype of the lunar lander.

The Artemis program is a major priority for NASA, as it aims to establish a sustainable presence on the moon and eventually send humans to Mars. The program is named after the Greek goddess of the moon, and is intended to build on the legacy of the Apollo program, which sent humans to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Artemis program will involve a series of missions to the moon, starting with an uncrewed mission in 2021, followed by a crewed mission in 2023. The goal is to establish a lunar base by 2024, which will serve as a staging ground for future missions to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

The contract with Blue Origin is just one of several that NASA has awarded as part of the Artemis program. Other companies, including SpaceX and Boeing, have also been awarded contracts to develop spacecraft and other technologies for the program.

The development of the Blue Moon is a major step forward for Blue Origin, which has been working to establish itself as a major player in the space exploration industry. The company has already developed a reusable rocket called the New Shepard, which has been used to conduct suborbital flights for research and tourism.

With the Artemis program, Blue Origin will have the opportunity to play a key role in the future of space exploration. The company’s expertise in rocket technology and spaceflight will be critical to the success of the program, and could help pave the way for future missions to Mars and beyond.

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