NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission
NASA Space Technology WASHINGTON — A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March.In an Aug. 6 procurement filingNASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions. The payload, called Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will fly through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.One copy of SCALPSS was sent to the moon on the first Intuitive Machines lander mission in February, collecting limited data. A second copy of SCALPSS will fly on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, scheduled to launch late this year. However, NASA says it needs to fly...
