Blue Ring for a Red Planet: Blue Origin wins $700M from NASA for Mars Telecommunications Orbiter

An artist’s conception shows the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter in Martian orbit. (Blue Origin Photo) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has won a contract worth up to $700 million to boost NASA’s telecommunications capability in Martian orbit, using a version of the company’s Blue Ring multi-mission space platform. The contract calls on Blue Origin to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA by the end of 2028, the space agency said in a news release .