Blue Origin's founder, Jeff Bezos, announces the national team at the 2019 International Astronautical Congress in Washington, D.C.
Today, Blue Origin is proud to
announce a national team to offer a Human Landing System for NASA’s Artemis
program to return Americans to the lunar surface by 2024.
Blue Origin has signed teaming
agreements with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. These partners have decades of experience
supporting NASA with human space flight systems, launch vehicles, orbital
logistics, deep-space missions, interplanetary navigation and planetary
landings.
Our combined experience is uniquely positioned
to meet NASA’s needs for the Artemis program. Each partner will bring their
industry leading solutions to the following roles:
- Blue Origin, as prime contractor,
leads program management, systems engineering, safety and mission assurance,
and mission engineering while providing the Descent Element
that is based on the multi-year development of the Blue Moon lunar lander and
its BE-7 engine.
- Lockheed Martin develops the
reusable Ascent Element vehicle and leads crewed flight operations and
training.
- Northrop Grumman provides the Transfer Element
vehicle that brings the landing system down towards the Moon.
- Draper leads descent guidance and provides
flight avionics.
“National challenges call for a national
response. We are humbled and inspired to lead this deeply committed team that
will land NASA astronauts on the Moon,” said Bob Smith, CEO, Blue Origin.
“Combining our partners’ heritage with our advance work on the Blue Moon lunar
lander and its BE-7 engine, our team is looking forward to working with NASA in
support of the Artemis program.”
“Lockheed Martin has been honored
to help NASA explore space for more than 50 years, providing deep space robotic
missions, planetary landers, space shuttle heritage and the Orion exploration
spacecraft,” said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin
Space. “We value Blue Origin’s thoughtful approach to developing human-rated
flight systems, and are thrilled to be part of a national team with this mix of
innovation and experience. We look forward to safely and sustainably returning
our nation to the surface of the Moon by 2024.”
“Northrop Grumman’s commitment to put Americans back
on the moon dates back over 50 years ago with the delivery of the first lunar
lander for the historic Apollo Program,” said Blake Larson, corporate vice
president and president of Innovation Systems, Northrop Grumman. “Along with
our ongoing work on the Space Launch System boosters, astronaut escape system,
and the Gateway habitat, we are proud to be a part of the Blue Origin national
team to support NASA’s Artemis program and the ambitious goal to return to the
moon by 2024.”
“When the nation needs precision guidance, it calls on
Draper,” said Kaigham J. Gabriel, President and CEO, Draper. “We guided Apollo to the moon and back nearly 50 years ago.
We’re ready to do it again with the Blue Origin team for Artemis.”
It’s time to go back to the Moon,
this time to stay.
-Gradatim Ferociter