Blue Origin Scales Lunar Lander Production Despite Pad Infrastructure Loss
Blue Origin confirms that seven Blue Moon landers remain in active production as the company accelerates cleanup and redesign efforts following the New Glenn pad explosion in May.
Production Surge Amid Infrastructure Recovery
Blue Origin has maintained momentum on its Blue Moon lunar lander program, with seven vehicles currently in various stages of production. According to SpaceNews, John Couluris, senior VP for lunar permanence, confirmed that development of both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 landers has proceeded without interruption following the May 28 pad explosion at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36.
The Mark 1 and 2 Roadmap
The production line includes four Mark 1 uncrewed landers. The first, Endurance (SN1), is undergoing testing before entering a quiescent phase as it awaits a rescheduled launch in Q1 2027. A second unit is slated to carrier NASA’s VIPER rover later that year, while two additional Mark 1 units were recently initiated to transport rovers for Astrolab and Lunar Outpost in 2028.
Regarding the crew-capable Mark 2, Blue Origin is building three units. A prototype is scheduled for a 2027 low Earth orbit flight to test docking with NASA’s Orion spacecraft—a pivot following revised Artemis 3 mission parameters. Additionally, two "Mark 2 Alpha" landers are being optimized for crewed lunar trajectories, with an uncrewed demonstration flight targeted for 2028.
Infrastructure Rebuild
Recovery efforts at LC-36 are ahead of internal targets. The site cleanup and evidence recovery phase, which involved salvaging components from seven BE-4 and two BE-3U engines, was completed in 21 days rather than the budgeted 29.
Blue Origin is currently destacking the launch tower to facilitate ground-based repairs and the installation of new cryogenic umbilicals. The company aims to return the pad to service by the end of this year, while a secondary pad, LC-36B, is scheduled for completion in late 2027 to support the larger New Glenn 9x4 variant.