Blue Origin Putting New Shepard Space Tourism Program On Hold For Two Years To Focus On Lunar Missions
Credit: Blue Origin
Once considered the world’s richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos founded the aerospace company Blue Origin, which has now launched regular flights to the edge of space on Blue Origin rockets carrying six-seat capsules for tourists. The program will be suspended in the next two years to prepare for lunar missions.
Jeff Bezos’s company announced it is suspending its program for at least two years. All resources will be focused on upcoming lunar missions, including the development of a lunar lander.
The decision was made shortly before the expected third launch of the New Glenn super-heavy rocket, scheduled for late February. This launch was originally intended to send Blue Origin’s robotic lunar lander to the Moon, but the lander is currently undergoing testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Blue Origin said the decision reflects the company’s commitment to the national goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent presence there.
The company already has a contract with NASA to deliver astronauts to the Moon using the Blue Moon spacecraft. If all goes according to plan, a similar mission will take place as part of Artemis 5 in 2029. For demonstration purposes, Blue Origin plans to send a robotic rover to Earth’s natural satellite this year.
