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Author
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Topic: [Discuss] Blue Origin MK1 Endurance mission
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56615
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-29-2025 07:03 PM
   
Please use this topic to discuss NASA's Moon Base I mission that will use Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads to the lunar surface. |
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Member Posts: 1481
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 05-29-2025 07:04 PM
According to an article by Aviation Week's Irene Klotz, Jeff Bezos urged that Blue Origin add the necessary equipment to the mass demonstrator (intended for the first flight of New Glenn) to effect a soft lunar landing by the end of this year.If successful, this will be the largest payload to land on the Moon as it will be 26 ft. tall and 10 ft. in diameter. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56615
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-29-2025 08:54 PM
Here's a Blue Origin graphic comparing the size of the Apollo lunar module, the Blue Moon MK1 test vehicle which the company is targeting to land later this year and the full Blue Moon HLS for Artemis and other applications: And here's a new render of Blue Origin's plan for transporter to refuel the Blue Moon HLS in Earth orbit before leaving for the moon:  |
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Member Posts: 1481
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 05-29-2025 11:22 PM
The landing legs on the Mk1 do not seem to provide much stability for a landing. They seem to have half the distance from the centerline as that for the lunar module. The Mk2 legs seem to be much more stable. Of course the proof will come late this year. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56615
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-19-2026 09:10 AM
Today's (April 19) launch of New Glenn ended with the payload being placed into an off-nominal orbit. It is not clear yet what effect, if any, this will have on the MK1 launch. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56615
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-26-2026 08:32 PM
The first landing of Blue Origin's Mk1 is now NASA's Moon Base I mission. Targeted for launch no earlier than fall 2026, this mission will use Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads. Equipment will include the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument to study how thrusters interact with the Moon's surface, and the Laser Retroreflective Array, which helps orbiting spacecraft determine a more precise location using reflected laser light. The mission will land on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge to demonstrate capabilities that reduce risk for future crewed Artemis landing missions in 2028. |
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Member Posts: 1481
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 05-27-2026 12:18 PM
Here is a map and image showing the target landing area for Blue Origin's Mark I Lander, now known as Moon Base I.The Connecting Ridge area is indicated by the red lettering. The bottom image shows a view along the Connecting Ridge towards Shackleton Crater. Shackleton is 21 km in diameter and 4.2 km deep. The Connecting Ridge was on the initial list of 13 Artemis HLS landing areas, but was removed in late 2024 when the list was reduced to nine. It is an ideal location for solar powered probes.  |
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