Jeff Bezos announces plans to create the world’s first Moon delivery service
As agencies around the world race to begin establishing bases and villages on the Moon we're going to need a company that can help transport all the equipment and supplies
Key takeaways
- The company has been circulating a seven page white paper to NASA officials and Trump's transition team containing the project's details.
- Bezos believes the project's first mission could happen as soon as July 2020, but he admits it can only be done in partnership with NASA.
- A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'Jeff Bezos announces plans to create the world’s first Moon delivery service', 311 Institute, 10 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/jeff-bezos-announces-plans-to-create-the-worlds-first-moon-delivery-service/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
The cost of going into space has plummeted over the past few years, in some cases falling from $100 million a launch to $35 million, for the biggest rockets like the SpaceX Falcon 9, and you can launch your miniature cubesats, like the eighty odd that were launched recently by Planet for hundreds of thousands of dollars. And as everyone’s fascination with space continues almost unabated, including SpaceX’s two private space tourists who’ll circumnavigate the Moon in 2018, Jeff Bezos and his space outfit Blue Origin wants in one the action, it looks like he's not satisfied with just messing around with Amazon's delivery drones which made their first UK delivery last year.
However, Bezos being Bezos, the famous CEO of Amazon, has now announced that he wants to develop a lunar spacecraft with a lander named "Blue Moon." And he wants to use it to create the Moon’s first Moon delivery service. Hey, why not!? Even Moon colonists need pizzas, 42” TV’s... and banjos.
The company has been circulating a seven page white paper to NASA officials and Trump's transition team containing the project's details.
Apparently, Blue Moon will be able to carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo to space and can be launched on top of NASA’s huge Space Launch System (SLS), a remake of the famous Saturn V rocket, the United Launch Alliance's Atlas V or Blue Origin's own New Glenn rocket.
For now the Blue Origin team appear to have chosen the Shackleton crater on the moon's south pole as its landing site, since that region has continuous sunlight that its spacecraft's solar panels can use, and Shackleton is also rich in water ice that Blue Moon can use to create rocket fuel.
Bezos believes the project's first mission could happen as soon as July 2020, but he admits it can only be done in partnership with NASA.
"It is time for America to return to the Moon, this time to stay. A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this... our liquid hydrogen expertise and experience with precision vertical landing offer the fastest path to a lunar lander mission. I'm excited about this and am ready to invest my own money alongside NASA to make it happen,” he said.
And who knows, now the European Space Agency (ESA), has announced its plans to build the first Moon village beginning later this year the first generation of Moon colonists could be binge eating pizzas and playing the banjo in their new pad as early as 2021.
What this means for your organisation
Logistics precedes settlement.
Bases need equipment and supplies delivered reliably. A cargo lander is the enabling service for everything else. Expect delivery contracts to be the first real lunar market.
Falling launch costs make it viable.
Prices for the largest rockets have dropped substantially. Small satellites now launch for a fraction of former costs. Cheaper access is what makes lunar delivery conceivable.
Flexibility on launch vehicles matters.
Blue Moon could fly on several different rockets. Not depending on one launcher reduces schedule risk. Any space venture should design for multiple ride options.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Could our business supply equipment for lunar missions?
- How have falling launch costs changed what is possible for us?
- Do our plans depend on a single launch provider?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As agencies around the world race to begin establishing bases and villages on the Moon we're going to need a company that can help transport all the equipment and supplies
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 10 March 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Jeff Bezos announces plans to create the world’s first Moon delivery service. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/jeff-bezos-announces-plans-to-create-the-worlds-first-moon-delivery-service/
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