Ars Technica
• Stephen Clark
Blue Origin is seeking Federal Aviation Administration approval to conduct up to 50 New Glenn launches annually, alongside as many as 50 booster landings. The request would establish a substantially higher prospective operating cadence for the company’s heavy-lift launch vehicle.
Blue Origin
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A former NASA associate administrator for science is joining Blue Origin to lead the company’s advanced technology work. The appointment brings senior NASA science leadership experience into the space company as it develops and advances new technologies.
Blue Origin has unveiled a vertically deployed solar array system designed to provide more than 10 kilowatts of power for Moon Base operations at the lunar south pole. The company presented the 20-meter-tall “Power Tower” as a potential energy source for future lunar infrastructure.
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Blue Origin is seeking Federal Aviation Administration approval to conduct up to 50 New Glenn launches annually, alongside as many as 50 booster landings. The request would establish a substantially higher prospective operating cadence for the company’s heavy-lift launch vehicle.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company still aims to return its New Glenn rocket to flight before the end of the year, despite a May explosion at Cape Canaveral. Limp also said the company’s first outside funding round is oversubscribed and remains open.
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Jeff Bezos has committed approximately $30 billion of his personal fortune to Blue Origin since founding the company in 2000. The scale of the investment underscores the Amazon founder’s long-term backing for a commercial space venture positioned against SpaceX.
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Belgian company Space Applications Services has secured a flight opportunity for its LUVMI-M lunar rover aboard an upcoming Blue Origin Blue Moon lander mission. The agreement advances European participation in commercial lunar exploration and adds another payload to Blue Origin’s developing lunar transportation offering.
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Rocket Lab has challenged NASA’s decision to award Blue Origin a $700 million contract for a Mars orbiter, arguing the selection conflicts with eligibility requirements established by Congress. The protest puts the procurement’s compliance with those statutory rules under review.
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Blue Origin is broadening its Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral footprint with a new Merritt Island test site, Rocket Park production buildings, the rebuild of Launch Complex 36 and early work on nearby processing facilities, reinforcing its long-term launch and manufacturing presence in Florida.
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