Blue Origin is withdrawing from the NASA competition to develop a commercial space station in low Earth orbit, shifting its focus toward lunar transportation and infrastructure.
The company, which partnered with Sierra Space in 2021 to secure a Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) Phase 1 contract, confirmed it will not participate in the next round of agency solicitations. NASA released the Phase 2 solicitation on October 9, with proposals due December 8 and contract awards expected around April 2027. Under this solicitation, the agency intends to issue multiple firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts to support at least two contractors through early development.
Other competitors have previously adjusted their standing in the commercial LEO space. Northrop Grumman withdrew from the competition in October 2023 and joined the Starlab team, which operates as a joint venture with Airbus. Meanwhile, startup Vast is working alongside NASA under an unfunded Space Act Agreement and plans to launch an early version of its Haven-1 space station in the first quarter of 2027.
“Blue Origin’s mission is to build a road to space for the benefit of Earth so that millions of people can live and work in space. Establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon is a critical step toward that future,” the company said in an emailed statement.
The decision marks a pivot in the company’s long-term strategy, moving away from the development of the Orbital Reef station. The International Space Station, which the new commercial outposts are intended to replace, is currently slated for decommissioning in 2030.
“As our role supporting NASA’s Artemis and Moon Base missions continues to grow, we’re focusing resources on capabilities that directly advance our lunar projects. By sharpening that focus, we can move faster on the technologies and infrastructure needed to make lunar permanence a reality,” Blue Origin said.
While stepping back from the LEO competition, Blue Origin remains a primary contractor for NASA’s lunar transportation services, holding an unfunded Space Act Agreement to mature technologies and construct hardware for a crewed vehicle. The agency is currently evaluating lunar landing systems from both Blue Origin and SpaceX to determine which will support the Artemis IV mission in 2028.
NASA officials at the Kennedy Space Center announced that both companies will undergo uncrewed landing tests before a final selection is made. SpaceX intends to carry out its uncrewed moon landing test at the end of 2027 before attempting to transport astronauts during the second half of 2028.
Blue Origin follows a different architecture utilizing its Blue Moon module and three vehicles acting as tugboats, with plans to test its uncrewed landing system in 2028. Prior to these landings, NASA will modify the Artemis III mission in the summer of 2027, sending four astronauts into Earth orbit for approximately 14 days to rehearse rendezvous and docking operations between the Orion capsule and vehicle prototypes from both providers.