Science · Wednesday, September 2, 2026
NASA awards Blue Origin a Mars telecommunications contract worth up to about $700 million
The File desk · Sep 2, 2026, 2:12 PM UTC
Status
Confirmed from NASA contract release C26-010.
NASA contract release C26-010 dated Sept. 1, 2026, said NASA awarded Blue Origin a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to develop the Mars Telecommunications Network and deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter no later than Dec. 31, 2028. NASA said the network, managed by SCaN, is expected to be operational at Mars by 2030. Follows an RFP issued in May.
NASA said: “NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions.”
Contract release C26-010, dated Sept. 1, 2026, says the firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA no later than Dec. 31, 2028. Blue Origin will design, develop, integrate, launch, and operate the network, NASA said.
The network, managed by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, is expected to be operational at Mars by 2030. NASA said the selection follows a request for proposal issued in May.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Other bidders were not named in the release fetched.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
NASA Selects Blue Origin as Mars Telecommunications Network Provider
NASA (contract release C26-010) · September 1, 2026
NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions. The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA no later than Dec. 31, 2028. The network, managed by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, is expected to be operational at Mars by 2030.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-as-mars-telecommunications-network-provider/