Blue Origin Moon Lander Completes Testing at NASA Vacuum Chamber
Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lunar lander, also known as Endurance, has completed environmental testing in NASA's Thermal Vacuum Chamber A at Johnson Space Center. The uncrewed cargo lander will demonstrate key technologies such as precision landing and autonomous navigation, and will carry two NASA science payloads to the Moon's South Pole. The testing supports NASA's Artemis program and future crewed lunar missions through public-private collaboration.
- ▪Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) completed thermal vacuum testing in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Chamber A.
- ▪MK1 will carry two NASA payloads to the lunar South Pole under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
- ▪The lander will demonstrate cryogenic propulsion, precision landing, and autonomous guidance and navigation capabilities.
- ▪Testing in Chamber A simulated the vacuum and extreme temperatures of space to verify the lander’s structural and thermal integrity.
- ▪Lessons from MK1 will inform development of the crewed Blue Moon Mark 2 (MK2) lander for future Artemis missions.
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2 min readBlue Origin Moon Lander Completes Testing at NASA Vacuum ChamberIvry ArtisCommunications StrategistVictoria SegoviaNASA Glenn Research CenterMay 04, 2026 Article Environmental testing of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lunar lander has been completed inside Thermal Vacuum Chamber A at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Also known as Endurance, MK1 is an uncrewed cargo lander funded by Blue Origin as a commercial demonstration mission to advance Human Landing System capabilities in support of NASA’s Artemis program. The tests in Chamber A represent a public-private partnership model, with Blue Origin conducting work through a reimbursable Space Act Agreement.
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