NASA has awarded Blue Origin a contract worth up to $700 million to develop a Mars Telecommunications Network orbiter. The announcement came from the space agency, which set a hard deadline of December 31, 2028, for the orbiter to be operational, according to a report by Engadget.
Once in place, the orbiter will transmit science data, imagery, navigation information, and critical mission communications for spacecraft operating on and around Mars. The project is part of NASA's broader push toward eventually sending astronauts to the Red Planet.
Blue Origin is not new to NASA work. Earlier this year the company secured a separate contract to build lunar landers. That relationship has not been without complications. In May, a launchpad explosion set back the company's New Glenn rocket program. Blue Origin's CEO said repairs would be finished by the end of 2026, but NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman projected the launchpad would remain out of commission until 2028.
NASA's path toward Mars runs through the moon first. The agency's Artemis program has been conducting lunar missions as preparation for future crewed Mars missions. A successful human crewed Artemis mission took place earlier this year. More data from Mars will be essential as those plans develop, making a reliable communications link between Earth and Mars a priority.
The Mars telecommunications orbiter represents a significant step in that direction. Without a high-performance relay system in orbit around Mars, data from surface missions and deep-space spacecraft would face major delays and gaps in transmission.
