Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Lander Completes Critical Thermal Vacuum Tests Ahead of Lunar Missions

NASA’s ambitious Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the Moon by the end of 2028, but success hinges on multiple critical milestones aligning perfectly. As part of its revised mission strategy, NASA plans to evaluate lunar landers from its two private partners—SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander—in Earth’s orbit by late 2027 as part of the Artemis 3 mission.

The readiness of these landers remains uncertain, but progress is being made. In a recent update, NASA confirmed that Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 prototype—a precursor to the crewed lander—has completed a series of critical evaluations inside the agency’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber A at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. These tests assess how the lander will endure the vacuum of space and extreme temperature fluctuations during flight.

Mark 1 is the largest lunar lander ever constructed, though it will not be part of NASA’s Artemis 3 mission or carry astronauts to the lunar surface. Instead, Blue Origin intends to use it for an uncrewed cargo delivery to the Moon’s South Pole before the end of 2024 as part of a precursor test launch.

The data gathered from Mark 1 will directly inform the design of Mark 2, a more advanced landing system slated to transport astronauts during future Artemis missions. According to Blue Origin’s official website, Mark 2 will play a key role in “establishing a permanent presence on the Moon.” However, the timeline for astronauts to board the first Mark 2 lander remains unclear.

One major hurdle is the reliability of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which is designed to carry the Blue Moon lander into orbit. Last month, the rocket suffered a significant setback when it failed to deploy a small communications satellite into the correct orbit, resulting in its destruction. While the incident could have been far worse, it raises concerns about the rocket’s flightworthiness and its ability to transport the massive 26-foot lander—along with its vacuum-rated engine—into space, let alone support a crewed mission.

Adding to the uncertainty, Mark 1 was originally intended for the failed New Glenn launch, according to TechCrunch. The transition from Mark 1 to Mark 2 also presents engineering challenges, particularly in ensuring astronaut safety during orbital operations.

NASA’s official Artemis 3 mission page states that it will test “one or both” of its commercial landers, leaving open the possibility that neither may be ready in time. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starship, led by Elon Musk, has yet to achieve a successful launch and landing. The latest iteration, dubbed “Version 3,” was recently tested on the launchpad ahead of the program’s 12th test flight, which has yet to occur.