Blue Origin Withdraws from NASA Commercial Space Station Competition

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 12, Blue Origin confirmed to Aviation Week that it will withdraw from the second phase of NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program competition and redirect its resources toward lunar exploration, crewed transportation, and lunar base construction-related technologies. The company stated that as its work on NASA's Artemis program and lunar base missions increases, it will prioritize technologies and infrastructure that directly serve lunar projects.

Blue Origin had previously co-developed the Orbital Reef commercial space station with Sierra Space. In December 2021, NASA awarded Blue Origin a $130 million funded Space Act Agreement for the design and development of a commercial low Earth orbit space station. Project partners also included Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering, and Arizona State University. At the time, NASA positioned Orbital Reef as a commercial low Earth orbit space platform, planned to provide facilities for crewed habitation, scientific research, industrial experiments, and commercial activities. With this withdrawal, Blue Origin will shelve the space station plan.

NASA released the final solicitation documents for the second phase of the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations Contract (CLDC) on October 9, 2026, requiring participating companies to submit proposals by December 8, with contract awards expected in spring 2027. The procurement process plans to first support at least two companies in early-stage development through firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contracts, followed by competitive task orders to select one or more suppliers to undertake final design, testing, evaluation, certification, and related services for the space station.

NASA plans to gradually establish a commercial space station operating system before the International Space Station (ISS) is retired in 2030. Following Blue Origin's withdrawal, its original Orbital Reef proposal will no longer participate in this round of second-phase competition, and the company will focus on lunar transportation and long-duration habitation-related missions.