As Blue Origin rebuilds its launch pad that was damaged from a rocket explosion in May, NASA says it may look at other options for moon supply deliveries if the company can't get back to flying in time for the agency's ambitious moon base timeline.
The moon base is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028 and establish a permanent science presence on the moon.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket and Blue Moon Mark 1 lander were tapped to deliver hardware to the lunar surface that would begin building NASA's moon base, serving as the foundation to a fleet of cargo and science deliveries to the lunar south pole that included rovers, drones and even moon buggies.
But Blue Origin's sole launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was badly damaged during a pre-launch test firing of a New Glenn rocket on May 26. CEO Dave Limp said work is underway to repair the pad and he hopes to have New Glenn flying once again by the end of the year.
NASA wants the Blue Moon mission to launch by mid-2027. If there are delays, and Blue Origin can't get back to flying by then, the agency is prepared to look elsewhere to deliver this cargo to the moon.
"We're working with Blue Origin very closely to understand their timelines to recovery, and also looking at other options in case it doesn't meet our timeline," said Carlos García-Galán, NASA's project manager for the moon base.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman on Tuesday expressed confidence in Blue Origin in getting back to flight and meeting NASA's deadline.
"Plan A is very much still to launch the Mark 1 [lander] on New Glenn, and we have time," Isaacman said. "They are very committed to getting back in the business of launching New Glenn before the end of the year."
Still, Isaacman said he's prepared to find another ride, should he need to. "NASA does not sit in our hands and wait for hardware to show up. We are going out and driving outcomes, and we are doing that across the entire Artemis initiative."
Work has begun to rebuild Blue Origin's launch facility. In an update also on Tuesday, Limp said the company lost the lightning tower, hardware that moves and lifts the New Glenn rocket, and hydraulic cylinders, but "caught a lot of breaks, too," and recovered key pieces of hardware, including a first stage New Glenn rocket booster named "Never Tell Me the Odds" that was stored at the launch facility ahead of a future launch.
Blue Origin's plans to rebuild include a new version of the launch facility that offers options to attach payloads to the rocket while it is lying on its side or standing upright depending on the type of payload.
Limp said the company is continuing to investigate the cause of the anomaly that led to the explosion, and an early analysis points to the back end of the rocket's larger first stage.
"Our road to space doesn't pause here," Limp wrote. "We will return to flight by the end of this year."
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