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#1 2025-02-01 10:37:53
Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
Estimates of the propellant load on the New Glenn commonly are in the range of 1,150 tons. However, making a comparison of the size of the tanks to those of the Superheavy booster it’s capacity could be estimated as 1/2.6th that of the Superheavy:
(Credit: Ken Kirtland)
https://x.com/kenkirtland17/status/1761 … 11916?s=61
Since the maximum capacity of the Superheavy tanks is ca. 3,600 tons, the New Glenn booster tanks can be estimated to have a maximum capacity of 3,600/2.6 = 1,380 tons.
With tanks filled to this maximum capacity though it would need higher thrust to lift-off. Given the thrust upgrades already planned by Blue Origin for New Glenn, running a delta-v calculation suggests it could get in the range of ca. 100 tons to LEO, a Saturn V class launcher.
But 100 tons to LEO, i.e., Saturn V class, is commonly given as the launch capacity needed for a Moon rocket. Then New Glenn could possibly serve as a single launch Moon rocket.
Remarkably, Blue Origin as soon as next month in March plans to launch a lunar cargo lander to the Moon, the Blue Moon Mk1. At ca. 21 ton mass and 3 ton payload capacity, this could actually serve also as a manned lander if given a 3 ton crew module. The far larger Blue Moon Mk2 multi-billion dollar manned lander would be unnecessary.
Could Blue Origin offer it’s own rocket to the Moon?
https://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2025/ … ocket.html
Bob Clark
Old Space rule of acquisition (with a nod to Star Trek - the Next Generation):
“Anything worth doing is worth doing for a billion dollars.”
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#2 2025-02-01 10:43:57
- tahanson43206
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Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members over time.
Post #2: http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 37#p229537
GW Johnson confirmed the Blue Origin vehicle could serve as a Moon rocket.
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#3 2025-02-02 10:40:14
- GW Johnson
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- From: McGregor, Texas USA
- Registered: 2011-12-04
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Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
Beware of faked-up weight statements. They lead you astray very quickly in the rocket equation, due to its exponential nature.
Also beware of rocket equation estimates without vehicle acceleration capabilities being explored. That will also lead you astray very quickly.
As for the topic of this thread, yes, f course the Blue Origin New Glenn could be a moon rocket. It is roughly a Saturn-5-class vehicle. It would require a spacecraft cluster more like what we used on Apollo, than anything to do with Orion and its undersized service module propulsion.
The real problem is NOT technical, it is mostly Senate pork-barrel politics and the lobby power of entrenched old space interests. Note that SpaceX is transforming in slow motion into the new "old space". Musk has gotten close enough to Trump to accelerate that a bit. Which is why Bezos and the rest are also chumming up, both within and without the space industry.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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#4 2025-02-21 10:55:49
Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
There is much handwringing at NASA as it appears the Artemis missions will be cancelled. However, in point of fact we are now at a point in the development of spaceflight that manned lunar missions can be mounted for what we are now spending just for flights to the ISS, as long as they are commercially financed.
Then we now have the capability to be at the long-desired position of having a sustained, habitable presence on the Moon:
Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon, Page 2: low cost crewed lunar landers.
https://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2025/ … ocket.html
As part of the calculations I came to a surprising conclusion, the production cost, as opposed to the price charged to a customer, for a manned space capsule might be only a few ten's of millions of dollars.
Bob Clark
Old Space rule of acquisition (with a nod to Star Trek - the Next Generation):
“Anything worth doing is worth doing for a billion dollars.”
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#5 2025-06-05 09:30:21
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 8,507
Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
I consider this to be a nice item: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r … 6d6c5526de Quote:
Blue Origin’s Cislunar Transporter: A Fuel Shuttle for the Moon, Mars and Beyond
YouTube
Space Startup News
3 views
It seems that they have a depot that will store Hydrogen and Oxygen without boiloff.
Also mentioned is sourcing Oxygen from the Moon at a favorable price, either from ice or from regolith.
It is intended to be able to deliver propellants to the Moon or Mars orbits, it seems.
Ending Pending 
Last edited by Void (2025-06-05 09:33:01)
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#6 2025-06-05 17:50:42
- SpaceNut
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Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
After getting cut out in the first round for the lunar lander in favor of the starship only to be granded a second chance it would seem they are looking for that end to end to satisfy those old apollo thinkers.
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#7 2025-06-05 19:30:58
- Void
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- Registered: 2011-12-29
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Re: Could Blue Origin offer its own rocket to the Moon?
I am a fan of SpaceX, but I hope the Blue Origin people can do their own path to good accomplishments. It looks like a valuable device. I would think that if it could be propelled to Mars with an electric rocket that might make it even better.
Ending Pending
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