Blue Origin

Blue Origin is the private aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos and headquartered in Kent, Washington. It is one of NASA's two Human Landing System (HLS) contractors, building the Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander to carry crew to the lunar surface from Artemis IV onwards. Artemis III was redesignated in February 2026 from a crewed lunar landing to an Earth-orbit docking test ; Blue Moon's first crewed use is therefore not expected until Artemis IV or later.

Blue Origin's orbital programme is anchored by its New Glenn rocket, which completed its first orbital flight in January 2025 after years of delays. Its suborbital vehicle, New Shepard, has flown paying tourists since 2021. The Blue Moon Mark 2 contract was awarded in 2023 alongside a continued SpaceX Starship HLS contract, in a dual-vendor strategy intended to reduce NASA's dependence on any single company.

Blue Origin's significance within Artemis has grown sharply since Artemis III's demotion pushed the first crewed lunar landing to Artemis IV. The company is on a compressed timeline to deliver a lander that must work on the first attempt at the Moon, without a prior unmanned landing demonstration under NASA contract. The NASA Office of Inspector General has assessed Starship HLS as at least two years behind schedule; Blue Moon has faced less public scrutiny, but both landers must be ready before a crewed landing can proceed .