Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 passes NASA environmental tests

Technology May 05, 2026

Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 just aced some tough NASA tests, handling extreme temperatures and vacuum conditions at the Johnson Space Center.
While this lander isn't for astronauts, it's hoped to deliver cargo to the Moon's South Pole later this year, a big step for future lunar missions.

Mark 1 supports Artemis Mark 2

Mark 1's success gives Blue Origin valuable data to build Mark 2, which will actually carry astronauts as part of NASA's Artemis program.
As Blue Origin put it, these results will help them improve our next lander.
Still, NASA faces delays: recent rocket hiccups and test issues mean landing humans on the Moon by 2028 is still a work in progress.