INSIDE THE BLUE MOON LANDER
This lunar spacecraft is being developed for a future human colony on the Moon
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
Did you know?
Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000
To date, 12 astronauts have walked on the lunar surface. While nobody has set foot on its surface since 1972, plans are in place to return people to the Moon soon. But some are envisaging steps much further ahead, including establishing a human colony on the Moon. In order to increase our knowledge of the Moon and carry out experiments on its surface, people and machinery first need to be delivered there by lunar landers. One of these currently under development is the Blue Moon lander, created by privately funded aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin. The company, which also focuses on space tourism, is owned by Jeff Bezos. Blue Moon wasn’t selected for NASA’s Artemis Moon missions, but Blue Origin hopes to use the lunar lander in future missions to achieve a sustained human presence in space.