Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander emerged from a punishing series of tests at NASA's Johnson Space Center, where it endured the vacuum and wild temperature swings of space. The milestone comes as the company works toward delivering a human-rated lander for NASA's Artemis program.
The lander spent weeks inside Chamber A, a facility that strips air to near-vacuum and cycles temperatures between -200°F and 250°F. Engineers confirmed the vehicle's thermal control and propulsion systems passed without degradation.
The test success follows a setback hours earlier: an upper stage of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a test at Cape Canaveral. The incident, which the company called an anomaly, did not injure personnel but scattered debris across the launch complex.
Just before the explosion, the U.S. Space Force awarded Blue Origin a task order under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 program. The contract covers multiple launches starting in 2025, but the explosion could delay New Glenn's first flight and affect the company's competitive position against SpaceX.
Blue Origin's CEO said the company regained access to the pad and is working to determine the root cause of the failure. The lander test, meanwhile, keeps the lunar program on track for a planned uncrewed mission to the Moon's south pole in 2024.