• Blue Origin will design, build, launch and operate NASA's Mars Telecommunications Network under a contract worth up to about $700 million
  • The orbiter is due by the end of 2028, with NASA expecting the communications network to be operating at Mars by 2030

The fact

NASA has awarded Blue Origin a contract to develop and operate its Mars Telecommunications Network, a dedicated communications and navigation system for missions at Mars.

The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of about $700 million. Blue Origin will design, develop, integrate, launch and operate the network, using a telecommunications orbiter based on its Blue Ring spacecraft platform. The system is intended to relay science data, imagery, navigation information and mission communications between spacecraft at Mars and controllers on Earth.

Blue Origin must deliver the orbiter to NASA by 31 December 2028. NASA expects the network to be operating at Mars by 2030, but has not named the first mission that will use it or disclosed the network's planned capacity or service levels.

The assessment

Blue Origin is responsible for more than building the orbiter. It must also launch the spacecraft and run the communications network once it reaches Mars. That means the hardware alone is not enough. The orbiter has to reach Mars, complete testing and enter service before other missions can rely on it.

NASA has not yet said which mission will use the network first or what level of service it will provide. For BTW readers, the important point is that Mars communications now has its own delivery programme. Blue Origin has to turn the orbiter into a working network before future missions can treat it as part of their communications plan.

What to watch

Watch whether Blue Origin delivers the orbiter by the end of 2028 and when NASA confirms its launch and arrival schedule. Commissioning at Mars, published service specifications and the first mission assigned to the network will show when the relay becomes infrastructure that other missions can actually use.