All articles tagged with #blue ring
NASA awarded Blue Origin a $700 million contract to develop a Mars communications orbiter, slated for launch in just over two years, with Blue Origin proposing a variant of its Blue Ring spacecraft for the mission.
Blue Origin, in collaboration with NASA's JPL and Caltech, introduced the NEO Hunter mission concept to defend Earth from hazardous near-Earth objects, leveraging the Blue Ring platform. The plan envisions a two-phase approach: first deploying cubesats to study and characterize the target asteroid to guide deflection, including an ion-beam method; if needed, a second phase would perform a robust direct kinetic disruption (inspired by NASA’s DART) with a Slamcam to document the impact. The mission is planned to launch its first phase in spring 2026.
Tory Bruno, the former United Launch Alliance CEO, says he joined Blue Origin to pursue urgent national-security space projects, highlighting the Blue Ring spacecraft’s high maneuverability and plans to add AI autonomy and advanced ground control to enable dynamic space operations as geopolitical rivals expand their orbital capabilities.
Blue Origin is partnering with Scout Space to launch the Owl AI-powered space surveillance sensor on its Blue Ring spacecraft in Spring 2026, aiming to enhance space situational awareness and support national security by detecting and tracking objects in orbit, including debris and satellites, from geostationary transfer orbit to operational geostationary orbit.
Blue Origin is promoting its Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle, emphasizing its capabilities such as serving as a fuel depot, deploying satellites, and supporting in-space servicing. The company is also working on the development of its New Glenn orbital launch vehicle and increasing the flight rate of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle. Additionally, Blue Origin is ramping up production of its BE-4 engines and plans to accelerate its pace of activity in the future.
Redwire has won a contract from Blue Origin to provide solar panels and other components for the Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle, including four Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) systems, cameras, and power distribution units. The vehicle is designed to carry up to 3,000 kilograms of payloads from medium Earth orbit to cislunar space. This contract marks another collaboration between the two companies, with Redwire also being a partner on the Orbital Reef commercial space station project led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space.