- Delivery is due no later than Dec. 31, 2028
- Blue Origin will design, launch and operate the network, not just build it
- Congress funded the orbiter through last year’s reconciliation bill
Blue Origin has won a NASA contract worth up to $700 million to build the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a system designed to carry science data, imagery and navigation information for spacecraft operating on the Red Planet.
The firm-fixed-price award covers design, development, integration, launch and operation of the network, NASA said Tuesday. Delivery of the orbiter is due no later than Dec. 31, 2028, with the network expected to be operational at Mars by 2030.
NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program manages the effort.
What Will the Mars Telecommunications Network Do?
The architecture centers on a single high-performance telecommunications spacecraft in Mars orbit, relaying data for missions on and around the planet.
NASA framed the award as extending its communications and navigation services beyond Earth and the moon. The agency said demand for data will climb as robotic missions give way to human exploration.
The selection follows a request for proposals issued in May and an industry event at Goddard Space Flight Center. That solicitation described a core delivery requirement plus optional services covering launch, integration, on-orbit commissioning and up to five years of mission operations.
Where Did the Orbiter Funding Come From?
Congress appropriated $700 million for a Mars telecommunications orbiter in the reconciliation bill signed in July 2025, according to SpacePolicyOnline.
The legislation directed that the orbiter be procured through a competitively bid fixed-price contract with a U.S. commercial provider and delivered by Dec. 31, 2028 — the same date and structure in the award. The bill said the orbiter would support a Mars Sample Return mission and future robotic and human missions.
The $700 million was part of roughly $10.08 billion the bill directed to NASA programs.
Blue Origin’s Launch Capability
The contract requires Blue Origin to launch the orbiter; however, the company’s New Glenn program suffered a launchpad explosion in May.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp previously said repairs would be complete by the end of 2026, while NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman projected the pad would remain out of commission until 2028, Engadget reported.
Blue Origin launched NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, or ESCAPADE, Mars orbiters on New Glenn in November 2025.
