Blue Origin and SpaceX Compete to Realize 21st Century Human Moon Landings
Senior VP of Lunar Permanence at Blue Origin John Koulouris says ‘country needs competition’ which brings ‘innovation’ in CBS interview; Blue Moon Mark 1 lander expected to complete 2 demonstration landings NLT 2026 prior to Artemis 5 mission NET 2029 in which human-rated variant to carry 2 crewmembers from Gateway to lunar surface under $3.4B contract; SpaceX working to achieve launch of Starship, slated to deliver 2 crew from Orion in lunar orbit to Moon surface during Artemis 3 NET July 2026 under US$2.89B contract and again for Artemis 4 NET Sep 2028 under US$1.15B contract; IFT-3 expected to launch mid-March following successful WDR of Booster 10 / Ship 28