Blue Alchemist Hits Major Milestone Toward Permanent and Sustainable Lunar Infrastructure

Blue Origin’s breakthrough in-space resource utilization system aims to turn lunar regolith into solar arrays, metals, and breathable and propellant-grade oxygen, enabling sustainable robotic and human Moon missions and future Mars exploration

Blue Origin announced today that its pioneering in-space resource utilization system, Blue Alchemist, has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR), marking a transformative milestone toward humanity’s permanent expansion beyond Earth. The breakthrough technology aims to turn the Moon, and eventually Mars, into self-sustaining worlds where robots and humans can go beyond visiting and truly explore, grow, live, and thrive.  

Blue Origin designs and manufactures heavy-lift rockets, transporters, landers, orbiters, and systems to explore space efficiently and affordably. Blue Alchemist represents a fundamental shift in space exploration; instead of hauling materials from Earth at enormous cost, future missions will build what they need using resources found on the Moon or Mars. The system transforms regolith into solar power systems, breathable oxygen, propellant-grade oxygen for refueling, metals, and construction materials – all critical elements and systems needed for near-term, low-cost, and sustainable bases, growing settlements, and eventual cities.

“Blue Alchemist changes everything about how we approach space. It is the foundation for a sustainable robotic and human presence across the solar system,” said Pat Remias, Vice President, Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering. “Each kilogram of oxygen we make on the lunar surface is one less that we have to launch from Earth, making it a giant leap toward permanent settlements as well as critical resources for transportation to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”