NASA selected Blue Origin on May 19, 2023, to develop the human landing system planned for Artemis V under a firm-fixed-price contract valued at $3.4 billion.
True
NASA announced on May 19, 2023, that it selected Blue Origin to build a lunar lander for the Artemis V mission through a contract worth $3.4 billion.
NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider - NASA
Source: nasa.gov
At a glance
Verified September 1, 2026Key Evidence
NASA’s official announcement says the Blue Origin contract had a total value of $3.4 billion and included an uncrewed lunar demonstration before the Artemis V crewed mission.
Contemporaneous reporting by The New York Times, USA on September 1, 2026, Reuters, CBS News, and Axios confirms that NASA announced the Blue Origin selection on May 19, 2023.
A 2026 NASA Office of Inspector General report describes the award as approximately $3.1 billion, but the contemporaneous NASA announcement and other reporting identify the total contract value as $3.4 billion. The difference appears to reflect differing descriptions or accounting of the award rather than a contradiction of the selection itself.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
NASA’s announcement identifies Blue Origin as the second company chosen to provide an Artemis human lunar lander. The award covered design, development, testing, and verification work, as well as an uncrewed lunar demonstration before a crewed demonstration associated with Artemis V, then scheduled for 2029. NASA listed the total value of the firm-fixed-price contract as $3.4 billion.nasa.govnasa.govNASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider
appel.nasa.govappel.nasa.govNASA selects lander provider for Artemis V
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Verified Sources10
Open source