Could the Blue Moon Mark 1 launch on other rockets? Both SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan vehicles both have the lift capability to potentially push the vehicle to the Moon. But Vulcan is also sidelined for now and has a long queue of Space Force payloads. So what about Falcon Heavy?
The Mark 1 lander is powered by a BE-7 engine, which runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. There may be compatibility issues related to the Falcon rocket’s kerosene-powered upper stage, although this has not been confirmed. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Blue Origin would partner with its direct competitor, SpaceX, in this manner.
artemis program
Due to the Mark 1 issues outlined above, the Moon Base program will either suffer significant delays, or require restructuring of the early stages. For example, the lunar rovers being developed by Astrolabe and Lunar Outpost have a mass of about 1 ton. Only the Mark 1 and SpaceX’s Starship have this type of delivery capability.
There are also major implications for the main Artemis crew missions.
NASA recently converted Artemis III to a mission that will see the Orion spacecraft rendezvous with one or both of the human landing systems being developed by Blue Origin (Blue Moon) and SpaceX (Starship) in low-Earth orbit. NASA is committed to launching the mission in 2027 and plans to announce its four crew members in a few weeks.
But now it is absolutely certain that the Blue Moon Lander will not be ready for such a mission within the next 18 months. NASA must decide whether to wait on Blue Origin or proceed with the Starship-only mission.
As for the lunar landing mission, Artemis IV, this failure further complicates that plan. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which a crew-rated Blue Moon lander would be ready any time now in 2028. Even though the hardware is far away, Blue Origin still needs to fly test missions with Blue Moon Mark 1, which is on hold indefinitely.
Several senior NASA officials came to view Blue Origin’s plan to use a slimmer version of the Mark 2 lander as the leading alternative to Artemis IV, which would not require refueling in space. Now, like much of the US space industry, NASA finds itself highly dependent on SpaceX’s capability with Starship.
Note: This article has been edited to clarify interoperability issues between the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander and the Falcon Heavy rocket.
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