The award does not directly imply a delivery agreement; first, NASA will verify whether Blue Origin is capable of successfully sending the expensive VIPER rover to the moon's south pole. To be eligible to take on the VIPER delivery, the company must place its Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander-complete with a NASA technology payload-on the lunar surface by the end of 2025.
"The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut," Duffy wrote Thursday on X.
I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don't just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle.