Bezos’ Blue Origin tested its engine for the first time which will be used for its lunar lander. The test took place at NASA’s MSFC. It went as planned, with data looking great and the hardware in perfect state, tweeted Bezos. Named BE-7, it was announced on May 9, when Bezos unveiled plans for the Blue Moon. It can carry over 3.6 MT tons, extendable to around 6.5 MT tons. The latter version could allow crewed missions to take place to the Moon.
The engine will power Blue Moon and can produce 10,000 pounds of thrust. It utilizes liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants, building upon the BE-3 engine, utilized in New Shepard and New Glenn projects. The propellants were selected because of high performance and ability to be sourced from water ice on lunar surfaces. This would allow for refueling on the moon from materials sourced there. They have been building this for 3 years now.
The tweet was sent before his Space Summit appearance at JFK Library. Interviewed by Ms. Kennedy, Bezos discussed his plans for the lander, along with propellant choices. He further emphasized on the government’s role, stating that private partners are needed to return human presence to lunar surfaces and that a collaborative effort between private companies and government agencies is needed.
Blue Origin currently is working alongside NASA to return human presence to the moon. It is among the eleven companies that received NASA contracts for prototype development and studying lunar lander and probe descent stages & transfer vehicles, with more work coming in soon for integrated Moon lander systems. Jeff Bezos also criticized how Congress was playing politics when it came to NASA programs. Instead of focusing on the mission, they wanted to balance social and economic sides as well, which could get frustrating. He joked about it to ex-NASA admin Bolden who was in the attendance.
Alberto Strayer is World Industry Insights editor-in-chief. He is responsible for all business related editorial products. Alberto years ago, he joined World Industry Insight as a senior staff writer. Alberto spent the initial decade of his career with the publication covering business. Due to his efficiency and eye for detail, Alberto achieved the best performer of the year for consecutive 2 years. Alberto earned a Bachelor’s Degree in magazine production and editing. He loves to travel and explore the world in his free time.
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