NASA awards Blue Origin contract to develop Mars telecommunications network

NASA has awarded Blue Origin a contract with a maximum potential value of approximately 700 million U.S. dollars to develop a next-generation Mars Telecommunications Network. This system is designed to provide reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions. Blue Origin is tasked with delivering a high-performance telecommunications orbiter for Mars to NASA no later than December 31, 2028, with the network expected to be operational by 2030.