Blue Origin unveiled its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander, Endurance, when the uncrewed vehicle rolled out of the Merritt Island facility on Jan. 20. Endurance is being sent to Houston for testing ahead of a pathfinder flight that Blue Origin says will not occur earlier than the first half of this year, launching on the New Glenn rocket. NASA has awarded Blue Origin the VIPER delivery for 2027 and contracted a crew-capable Mark 2 lander for Artemis V; no official launch date for Mark 1 has been set.
Blue Origin Reveals 'Endurance' — Mark 1 Moon Lander Rolls Out From Florida Facility
Drivers along Brevard County’s Space Commerce Way (recently renamed State Road 321) were treated to a rare sight on Jan. 20 when Blue Origin rolled its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, nicknamed Endurance, out of the company’s Merritt Island facility.
The uncrewed vehicle is being transported to Houston for additional testing as Blue Origin prepares for a future pathfinder flight. The company states that the flight would not occur earlier than the first half of this year and would launch atop its New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral.
“Introducing Endurance. Named for Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship that journeyed to Earth’s South Pole, MK1 honors resilience under pressure,” read Blue Origin’s Jan. 20 post on X. “That same spirit of perseverance guides our mission to the lunar South Pole.”
NASA has selected Blue Origin to deliver the VIPER rover to the lunar south pole in 2027 — a roughly 100-day mission to search for water ice, a resource critical to sustained lunar exploration. The lunar south pole is also the target region for NASA’s planned crewed landing beginning with Artemis III, currently slated for 2028.
In parallel, Blue Origin is under contract with NASA to develop an upgraded, crew-capable Mark 2 lander to transport astronauts to the surface during Artemis V. At present, Blue Origin has not announced an official launch date for the Mark 1 vehicle.
Reporting: Brooke Edwards, Space Reporter, Florida Today. Contact: bedwards@floridatoday.com; X: @brookeofstars.
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