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Updated · SpaceNews · Sep 2NASA Awards Blue Origin $700 Million Mars Orbiter Contract for Launch in 2 Years
3 articles · Updated · SpaceNews · Sep 2Summary
- $700 million will fund Blue Origin to build a Mars communications orbiter under a NASA contract awarded Sept. 1.
- The spacecraft is intended to support Mars communications and is targeted for launch in just over two years.
- The award gives Blue Origin a major deep-space role as NASA pushes a fast timeline for Mars mission infrastructure.
Insights
Will Blue Origin's $700 million gamble on a privately operated Mars internet pave the way for human missions, or end in costly delays? How will an interplanetary internet fundamentally change the way humanity interacts with the Red Planet in the coming decade?