Blue Origin
Kent, Washington launch and lunar-lander company. Its resource work consists of Blue Alchemist, a molten-regolith-electrolysis process tested on regolith simulant with NASA Tipping Point funding, and a NASA CLPS task order to deliver the VIPER water-ice prospecting rover on a Blue Moon Mark 1 lander; it owns Honeybee Robotics.
An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.
Resources and evidence
Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.
| Resource | Evidence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Oxygen | Claimed | says it will |
| Metals (general) | Claimed | says it will |
| Regolith | Claimed | says it will |
| Other | Claimed | says it will |
| Water ice | Claimed | says it will |
Demonstrated
Blue Origin states it has made solar cells and transmission wire from regolith simulants since 2021, and that Blue Alchemist passed its critical design review in September 2025. All of this work is terrestrial and on simulant; no Blue Origin resource hardware has flown. NASA TechPort project 146991, checked 2026-10-04, does not show that the planned 2026 simulated-lunar autonomous demonstration was carried out.
Claimed or planned
Blue Origin states Blue Alchemist will turn lunar regolith into solar arrays, metals, silicon and oxygen, with an autonomous demonstration in a simulated lunar environment that the company described as a 2026 plan, and that it is developing systems to identify South Pole water ice for hydrogen extraction. NASA TechPort project 146991, checked 2026-10-04, is marked completed at readiness level 4 and still says the thermal-vacuum tests will be performed, so that demonstration is not recorded here as done. NASA has contracted it to deliver VIPER to the lunar South Pole on a second Blue Moon MK1 lander (late 2027).
Facts
- Headquarters
- United States
- Type
- Company
- Status
- Activeas of 2026-08-24. Active: NASA's Moon Base Phases page (last updated 2026-08-24) lists Blue Moon Mark 1 missions and VIPER delivery on a Blue Origin lander in production.
- Roles
- Processing / ISRU, Lander / transport
- Targets
- Moon
- Subsidiaries
- Honeybee Robotics
- Website
- www.blueorigin.com
Missions
4 records| Mission | Role | Launch or landing | Phase | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Moon Mark 1 (second lander) - VIPER deliverySpacecraft | Operator | Landing Planned 2027 H2 (target) | In development | Not applicable |
| Blue Origin Oasis-1 lunar resource-mapping orbiter (Project Oasis, with Luxembourg)Spacecraft | Operator | Not recorded | Announced | Not applicable |
| VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover)Payload | Carrier | Landing Planned 2027 H2 (target) | In development | Not applicable |
| PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration)Spacecraft | Carrier | Planned 2028 H2 (target)Date detailsSchedule announced 2026-11-07. Record checked 2026-11-10. | In development | Not applicable |
Dated events
Amounts are shown one at a time as each source states them. They are never added together.
- 2026-11-07
NASA selects eight companies for CLPS 2 lunar deliveries ($10 billion combined maximum)
NASA selected eight companies as eligible to compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under CLPS 2: Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, ispace-U.S., Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman Space Systems, SpaceX and Voyager Technologies. CLPS 2 is a 10-year, multiple-award master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion; that maximum is a ceiling, not money awarded to any company. NASA also raised the current CLPS contract's value from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion.
Sources (3) and evidence gaps
NASA selected eight companies for the next phase of its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The companies are eligible to compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under the new CLPS 2 contract: Blue Origin Firefly Aerospace Intuitive Machines ispace-U.S. Lockheed Martin Space Northrop Grumman Space Systems SpaceX Voyager Technologies
The CLPS 2 framework is a 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion.
NASA increased the value of the current CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support initial Phase One Moon Base objectives.
- NASA's release names no CLPS 2 task order. Lockheed Martin Space and Northrop Grumman Space Systems have no record in this dataset, so they are named here and not linked.
- 2026-11-07
NASA award to Blue Origin to deliver the PROMISE rover ($94 million base)
NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract to deliver the PROMISE rover to the lunar South Pole, with an option period worth an additional $140 million based on performance. NASA says the award expands the task order awarded in May 2026 to deliver two lunar terrain vehicles.
Sources (3) and evidence gaps
NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract, with an option period worth an additional $140 million based on performance to deliver PROMISE to the lunar South Pole.
The award expands the task order awarded in May 2026 to deliver two lunar terrain vehicles to the Moon.
The PROMISE rover will carry a drill to extract regolith, or lunar dust, to characterize ice and other resources from approximately 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface
- The release gives no task-order number or delivery date for this award.
- 2025-09-19
NASA CLPS task order to Blue Origin for VIPER delivery
NASA awarded Blue Origin a CLPS task order, with an option, to deliver the VIPER water-ice prospecting rover to the lunar South Pole in late 2027 on a second Blue Moon MK1 lander. NASA gives a total potential value of $190 million.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
The CLPS task order has a total potential value of $190 million.
NASA has awarded Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) task order with an option to deliver a rover to the Moon's South Pole region.
- Amount is total potential value including an option; exercise of the delivery option not confirmed
- 2025-09-10
Blue Alchemist completes critical design review
Blue Origin announced that Blue Alchemist completed its critical design review and that the next phase is an autonomous demonstration in a simulated lunar environment in 2026. Company-stated milestone; no independent confirmation.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (1)
The CDR success confirms Blue Alchemist is ready for its next phase: autonomous demonstration in a simulated lunar environment in 2026.
- 2023-12-05
DARPA selects Helios for the LunA-10 lunar architecture study
DARPA listed Helios among 14 companies selected for its LunA-10 capability study on integrated lunar infrastructure, which DARPA says does not fund hardware construction or transport to the Moon; Firefly Aerospace, Honeybee Robotics and Blue Origin were also selected.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
DARPA has selected the following companies for LunA-10: Blue Origin CisLunar Industries Crescent Space Services LLC Fibertek, Inc. Firefly Aerospace GITAI Helios Honeybee Robotics ICON
LunA-10 will not fund technology construction, transportation to the lunar surface, or integration with lunar delivery vehicles
- Award value per performer not stated.
- 2023-07
NASA Tipping Point award to Blue Origin for Blue Alchemist
NASA selected Blue Origin for a $34.7 million Tipping Point partnership to advance an end-to-end ISRU system designed to extract oxygen, iron, silicon and aluminum from regolith simulant and make solar cells and wire. Blue Origin said in July 2023 that an autonomous demonstration in a simulated lunar environment was expected by 2026.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, $34.7 million The company will advance an end-to-end in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) system that can extract oxygen, iron, silicon, and aluminum from lunar regolith simulant and use the extracted materials to produce solar cells and wire.
Today's investment will result in a demonstration of autonomous operation in a simulated lunar environment by 2026.
- NASA page dated 2023-07-24, Blue Origin release dated 2023-07-25; month precision used
- 2023-02-10
Blue Origin discloses Blue Alchemist (solar cells from regolith simulant)
Blue Origin disclosed Blue Alchemist, stating it had made working solar cells and transmission wire from lunar regolith simulants since 2021 using molten regolith electrolysis. Ground work on simulant only.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (1)
- [1]Blue Alchemist Technology Powers Our Lunar Future (Wayback Machine copy of blueorigin.com news page)
Blue Origin manufactured this working solar cell prototype from lunar regolith simulants.
- 2022-01-24
Blue Origin agrees to acquire Honeybee Robotics
Blue Origin agreed to acquire Honeybee Robotics from Ensign-Bickford Industries, making it a wholly owned subsidiary; the deal was expected to close in mid-February 2022 and terms were not disclosed.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
The deal between Honeybee's parent organization, Ensign-Bickford Industries, and Blue Origin is expected to close in mid-February. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Honeybee will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Origin, headquartered in Kent, Washington.
- Closing not confirmed by a primary source; date is the announcement date
Open evidence gaps
- NASA TechPort project 146991 (ISRU-Based Power on the Moon), last updated 2026-07-17, has status Completed and end date 2026-08-31, current technology readiness level 4 against an end level of 6, and an empty technology-outcomes list. Its description still says Blue Origin will perform thermal-vacuum tests. That completed-project flag does not document that the 2026 simulated-lunar autonomous demonstration occurred.
- blueorigin.com returned HTTP 429 to raw fetches; Blue Origin quotes were confirmed against Wayback Machine copies of the same pages
- Founding year was not found in the sources reviewed for this record
- No NASA or Blue Origin statement found on how the 2026-05-28 New Glenn static-fire explosion at Launch Complex 36 affects the VIPER delivery date
Sources
7 excerpts from 7 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, $34.7 million The company will advance an end-to-end in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) system that can extract oxygen, iron, silicon, and aluminum from lunar regolith simulant and use the extracted materials to produce solar cells and wire.
- [2]Blue Alchemist Technology Powers Our Lunar Future (Wayback Machine copy of blueorigin.com news page)
Since 2021, Blue Origin has been making solar cells and transmission wire from regolith simulants.
The CDR success confirms Blue Alchemist is ready for its next phase: autonomous demonstration in a simulated lunar environment in 2026.
developing systems to identify water ice on the Moon's south pole for extraction of hydrogen to refuel our landers
With this new award, Blue Origin will deliver VIPER to the lunar surface in late 2027, using a second Blue Moon MK1 lander, which is in production.
VIPER will ride to the Moon aboard Blue Origin's second Blue Moon MK1 lander currently in production
During the project, Blue Origin will perform thermal vacuum (TVAC) tests at increasing levels of integration using design-build-test (DBT) cycles.
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “Blue Origin”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/blue-origin.html. Record checked 2026-10-04.