Blue Moon Lunar Lander

[sstli2]

Guys... yes, there are 3 BE-7s in the middle of the crew cabin on Blue Moon Mk2.
We've known this for two years now.

I've been pretty frustrated by the tendency for people to forget things in these forums.

They don't forget - there's a lot of people who pay attention to nothing except Starship and are unaware of what's going on elsewhere in the industry.

[Robotbeat]

It’s difficult to keep track of things that don’t have a centralized location for well-corroborated information. Note that you didn’t actually link to anything, just said that everyone knows…

[TheRadicalModerate]

It’s difficult to keep track of things that don’t have a centralized location for well-corroborated information. Note that you didn’t actually link to anything, just said that everyone knows…

And the source is far from authoritative.

[catdlr]

It’s difficult to keep track of things that don’t have a centralized location for well-corroborated information. Note that you didn’t actually link to anything, just said that everyone knows…

Aren't you so right? You don't know the hoops, skips, and jumps I have to take to verify references, remarks, and authentication when someone makes a statement or asks a question. This site is not easy to refer back to, especially when it comes to attachments, videos, and external links. However, I also frown upon members who don't even bother to find their answers if they scroll back a few posts or post something that has already been posted just a few days ago, and so on. The ones that floor me are the ones that start with, "I haven't been here for months, does anyone know what .....?", yeah,  too lazy to use a simple Google search.

Tony

[Robotbeat]

L2 I don’t think is indexed by Google. Anyway, is there a link to the corroboration that there’s 3 engines, just for posterity’s sake?

[matthewkantar]

Guys... yes, there are 3 BE-7s in the middle of the crew cabin on Blue Moon Mk2.
We've known this for two years now.

I've been pretty frustrated by the tendency for people to forget things in these forums.

I don’t recall anybody forgetting anything?🤷‍♂️

[TheRadicalModerate]

L2 I don’t think is indexed by Google. Anyway, is there a link to the corroboration that there’s 3 engines, just for posterity’s sake?

I know I saw something that was sourced to Blue Origin the other day, but I cleverly didn't save it.  The Wikipedia Blue Moon entry has a link to a presumably paywalled Irene Klotz Aviation Week article (7/17/23) as its source.  She's usually reliable.

[catdlr]

L2 I don’t think is indexed by Google. Anyway, is there a link to the corroboration that there’s 3 engines, just for posterity’s sake?

I know I saw something that was sourced to Blue Origin the other day, but I cleverly didn't save it.  The Wikipedia Blue Moon entry has a link to a presumably paywalled Irene Klotz Aviation Week article (7/17/23) as its source.  She's usually reliable.

"But I cleverly didn't save it." I do that a lot.

[TheRadicalModerate]

I've seen bottom shields in multiple Blue Origin artwork, so I assume that this is one of the ways they're going to mitigate FOD damage during landing.  If the three engines are center-mounted (a good assumption if they want 1-engine-out capability) and they're gimbaled (we've seen gimbaling hardware on BE-7 renders, and somebody mentioned 10º somewhere), then the shield can't cover all parts of the undercarriage.

If all three engines are splayed out as far as possible at landing, is that enough to make it very unlikely that FOD can get into the center, unprotected area?

[Robotbeat]

I've seen bottom shields in multiple Blue Origin artwork,...

Can you provide screenshots and highlights of some examples?

[TheRadicalModerate]

I've seen bottom shields in multiple Blue Origin artwork,...

Can you provide screenshots and highlights of some examples?

I think I must have hallucinated the BM2 shield, because I haven't seen a credible 3-engine shield that would work with gimbaling.  The BM1 shield, though, is in this old video, starting at 00:06.

[Robert_the_Doll]

Blue Moon Mark 1 on the move?

https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1938294203659714681

Over the Moon about this special delivery to Rocket Park. Any guesses what it could be? 🚚📦

[sstli2]

Blue Moon Mark 1 on the move?

https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1938294203659714681

Over the Moon about this special delivery to Rocket Park. Any guesses what it could be? 🚚📦

If so - where was it, and where is it going?

[StraumliBlight]

Blue Moon Mark 1 on the move?

https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1938294203659714681

Over the Moon about this special delivery to Rocket Park. Any guesses what it could be? 🚚📦

At the LSIC Spring Meeting, the MK1 101 lander was meant to ship to NASA Johnson for vacuum testing in "~6 weeks", which is about correct.

[StraumliBlight]

GAO-25-107591, NASA: Assessments of Major Projects (Page 48)

Blue Origin held a preliminary design review in February 2024 and plans to complete its critical design review in August 2025.

HLS officials said Blue Origin had to conduct additional work after its preliminary design review because its lunar lander design did not meet NASA’s propellant and mass requirements. These officials said that Blue Origin completed additional design analysis and showed progress in meeting the mass requirement.

[DrTadd]

GAO-25-107591, NASA: Assessments of Major Projects (Page 48)

Blue Origin held a preliminary design review in February 2024 and plans to complete its critical design review in August 2025.

HLS officials said Blue Origin had to conduct additional work after its preliminary design review because its lunar lander design did not meet NASA’s propellant and mass requirements. These officials said that Blue Origin completed additional design analysis and showed progress in meeting the mass requirement.

It is interesting that SX is only at PDR in August and BO is at CDR... given this is talking about the HLS.

SpaceX and Blue Origin are working toward their next design reviews.
SpaceX held an SLD certification baseline review in May 2023 and is
working toward its preliminary design review in August 2025. SpaceX
and NASA also plan to hold the HLS Initial Capability critical design
review in 2025. Blue Origin held a preliminary design review in February
2024 and plans to complete its critical design review in August 2025.

[envy887]

GAO-25-107591, NASA: Assessments of Major Projects (Page 48)

Blue Origin held a preliminary design review in February 2024 and plans to complete its critical design review in August 2025.

HLS officials said Blue Origin had to conduct additional work after its preliminary design review because its lunar lander design did not meet NASA’s propellant and mass requirements. These officials said that Blue Origin completed additional design analysis and showed progress in meeting the mass requirement.

It is interesting that SX is only at PDR in August and BO is at CDR... given this is talking about the HLS.

SpaceX and Blue Origin are working toward their next design reviews.
SpaceX held an SLD certification baseline review in May 2023 and is
working toward its preliminary design review in August 2025. SpaceX
and NASA also plan to hold the HLS Initial Capability critical design
review in 2025. Blue Origin held a preliminary design review in February
2024 and plans to complete its critical design review in August 2025.

That's the CDR for Artemis 4. The CDR for the Artemis 3 HLS is planned for 2025, see page 50 in that document.

SpaceX doesn't really follow the PDR/CDR process like other contractors, so that doesn't mean a whole lot.