Amazon’s Bezos unveils lunar lander project ‘Blue Moon’

Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world and head of space company Blue Origin, announced Thursday his intent to participate in the new race to the Moon with a high-tech lander to carry vehicles and equipment.

“This is Blue Moon,” the 55-year-old said at a carefully choreographed presentation in Washington, as curtains lifted to show a model of a huge vessel.

The features

It will weigh more than three metric tons empty, 15 fully fuelled, and be capable of carrying 3.6 tons to the lunar surface — or 6.5 in a variant model.

It is supported by four legs, with an upper deck where equipment can be fixed. A large tank of liquefied nitrogen fuel occupies its centre.