Blue Origin Wins Award for NASA’s Mars Telecommunications Network
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $700 million contract to develop a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter. The spacecraft, based on Blue Origin's Blue Ring platform, is expected to be operational by 2030 to support future Mars missions.
Why it matters
This contract marks a significant step in private-sector involvement in deep-space infrastructure, essential for future human exploration of Mars.
NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract worth up to $700 million to build the Mars Telecommunications Network, which will provide communications and navigation services for future Mars missions.
Under the award announced Tuesday, Blue Origin will design, develop, integrate, launch, and operate a telecommunications spacecraft that will orbit Mars and transmit science data, imagery, navigation information, and mission communications for spacecraft operating on and around the planet.
Under the firm-fixed price contract, Blue Origin is expected to deliver the orbiter to NASA no later than Dec. 31, 2028 and the network is expected to be operational at Mars by 2030.
Blue Origin said in a statement that the network will provide “near-continuous communications between Mars assets and ground controllers on Earth.”
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