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Jeff Bezos Is Planning To Ship 'Several Metric Tons of Cargo' To the Moon (vice.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the prime-delivery dept.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin aerospace company is planning to send "several metric tons" of unspecified cargo to the Moon in the next five years. The company reportedly signed a letter of intent with Germany aerospace companies OHB Space Systems and Security and MT Aerospace at the 69th annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Germany on Tuesday. The OHB dubbed the lunar project the "Blue Moon" mission in a press release. Motherboard reports: It's not clear exactly what cargo the Blue Moon mission would transport, but it likely includes infrastructure designed to start private business on the Moon: The IAC also detailed the launch of the "Moon Race," a competition between Blue Origin, Airbus Air and Space, and other space agencies around the world to develop technology that will bring companies around the world to the Moon. According to a press release, the competition could involve manufacturing products and technology, manufacturing energy sources for humans to survive, getting access to water and sustaining biological life, such as plant or agricultural life -- all on the Moon. Blue Origin said in a press release that both the Blue Moon mission and Moon Race are in line with its goal to "land large payloads on the Moon that can access and utilize the resources found there."

15 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. He doesn't know what the cargo is yet by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bezos just wants to be ready for the first Amazon Prime shipment to the moon. 2 day shipping will be a bit of a challenge.

    --
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    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    1. Re:He doesn't know what the cargo is yet by bobbied · · Score: 2

      Bezos just wants to be ready for the first Amazon Prime shipment to the moon. 2 day shipping will be a bit of a challenge.

      He will just subcontract the delivery to Space X..

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re:He doesn't know what the cargo is yet by rossdee · · Score: 2

      I guess you got an F in astrophysics

      If you start out at 25,000 mph you will escape earths gravity, but you will use up most of that velocity in doing so.
      I think low orbit speed is about 17,000 MPH
      and from there you have to accelerate with whatever fuel you have carried with you.

      And then of course slow down when you reach the moon. Sorry theres no atmosphere to use as a brake.

      I think the apollo missions had 4 day transit times, you're not going to do much better than that with chemical rockets.

  2. "unspecified cargo"? by 21st+Century+Peon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm assuming it'll mostly be union organisers.

    --
    "Knowledge, sir, should be free to all!"
    ~Harcourt Fenton Mudd
    1. Re:"unspecified cargo"? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Funny

      And Alice Kramden

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:"unspecified cargo"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or Amazon's financial information:

      "The letter of the law says we have to allow the tax man access to our accounts information to fulfil our legal obligations and we've told him exactly where they are and the access code but he's not bothered to audit them, so it's not OUR fault if you think we're not paying enough tax, we did try and work with the tax authorities. It's governments fault for not making sure that legislation explicitly states tax records must be held on Earth. They should change the law if they don't like it because we're simply doing what our shareholders would want and following the letter of the law!"

    3. Re:"unspecified cargo"? by Nidi62 · · Score: 2

      I'm assuming it'll mostly be union organisers.

      The whalers on the moon probably ordered another shipment of harpoons.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  3. Seeing a lot of talk about lunar flights by sheramil · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Talk is cheap, guys. I'd be interested to see, in ten years' time, how many, if any, of these fantasies get carried out.

    1. Re:Seeing a lot of talk about lunar flights by Teun · · Score: 2

      Yeah, what struck me is he/they plan on shipping metric tons, in the end they will probably just be archaic US short tons.

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    2. Re:Seeing a lot of talk about lunar flights by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 2

      Yeah, what struck me is he/they plan on shipping metric tons, in the end they will probably just be archaic US short tons.

      Excellent ... miles, quarts, and fathoms, used all over the moon, bwa ha ha!!!!!!

  4. The real technological feat... by hydrodog · · Score: 2

    will be using quadcopters to deliver it.

  5. Blue Origin Pivoting? by mentil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Blue Origin of course has no near-term plans for Moon-launch capability, thus why they're courting other companies to develop this. However this got me thinking...
    SpaceX's plan is for other companies to develop the various tech which will be deployed to Mars, for habitats, fuel production, automated machinery et cetera. This makes me wonder if Blue Origin is planning on developing some of said equipment, and putting it on the Moon first, giving up on making heavy-lift rockets and pivoting to making interesting cargo to put in space.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  6. Re:regulations now! by Computershack · · Score: 2

    No you're not. First thought that entered my mind was to take a photo of the next full moon to show your grandkids what it used to look like before we trashed it. Seems that not being content with trashing our own planet we're wanting to start to move out into space and trash that as well.

    --
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  7. Two moon-day shipping. by goombah99 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    that's 56 days earth time. I think he can do it.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  8. Smiley Boxes by Only+Time+Will+Tell · · Score: 2

    Awesome, now we're going to have smiley-face cardboard boxes polluting the moon.