--- title: "Blue Origin Engineers Deliver Full-Scale Prototype Moon Lander to NASA" description: "Blue Origin just delivered an engineering mockup of a lander that could one day carry American astronauts down to the surface of the Moon to NASA." date: "2020-08-20" modified: "2020-08-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/blue-origin-full-scale-prototype-moon-lander" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Blue Origin" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "artemis" - "blue origin" - "lunar lander" - "moon lander" - "NASA" --- # Blue Origin Engineers Deliver Full-Scale Prototype Moon Lander to NASA ![Blue Origin just delivered an engineering mockup of a lander that could one day carry American astronauts down to the surface of the Moon to NASA.]() *\Image: Blue Origin\* The Blue Origin-led Human Landing System (HLS) National Team [just delivered]() to NASA a full-scale prototype of a lander that could one day carry American astronauts to the surface of the Moon. https://youtu.be/J6kb5YYVges The 40-foot, full-scale mockup is made out of two different components: the Ascent Element (AE) and Descent Element (DE). The mockup will primarily serve as a platform to test out crew operations, i.e. how to get astronauts, equipment and supplies off and on the vehicle. It could also help the teams at NASA to evaluate things like cabin ergonomics, viewing angles from the cabin, and what the experience is like entering and leaving the vehicle while wearing a bulky spacesuit, [according to *SpaceNews*](). "The most interesting part of doing this kind of mockup assessment is finding the stuff that you didn’t think of," Brent Sherwood, vice president of advanced development programs at Blue Origin, told *SpaceNews*. "There are going to be surprises that are revealed by this kind of physical environment, when you can be in it and see it and feel it." In April, [NASA awarded]() contracts to three companies as part of its human landing systems (HLS) project. Apart from Blue Origin, which scored by far the biggest chunk of the total $967 million, Alabama-based aerotech company Dynetics as well as SpaceX were also awarded $253 million and $135 million respectively. SpaceX was awarded funding to develop the [Starship](), a massive spacecraft meant to carry astronauts to the Moon's surface using the company's Super Heavy rocket. A next round of contracts are due in late fall. It's still unclear how many landers NASA will be able to support, especially considering a tight [budget squeeze](). "All we can control is the work that we need to do," Sherwood told *SpaceNews*. "Testing this engineering mockup for crew interaction is a step toward making this historic mission real," Sherwood said in [a statement](). "The learning we get from full-scale mockups can’t be done any other way." In addition to Blue Origin, the project is a collaboration with a number of other avionics heavyweights, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, each of which are drawing experience from a number of other projects, including NASA's deep-space Orion vehicle and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus vehicle, an expendable aircraft that has resupplied the International Space Station. This is only the start; Blue Origin still has its work cut out before the lander will get even close to launching, including the development of the rocket engines powering the different stages. **READ MORE:** [Blue Origin’s human lunar lander team delivers full-scale engineering mockup to NASA]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on Blue Origin:** *[Jeff Bezos Just Unveiled Blue Origin's Moon Lander]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()