Hopes To Work With NASA And ESA To Create A Lunar Settlement

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos says that he hopes to work with NASA and the ESA to establish a settlement on the moon, but even if he is unable to reach a public-private partnership with the agencies, he will do whatever it takes to make the colony a reality.

Geekwire reports that Bezos' comments came during a presentation at the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles last Friday.

According to the report, Bezos said that his long-term vision is to make it easier for "millions of people" to work in space. He said that currently, Earth is a "convenient" place for heavy industry, but unlimited solar power will eventually make it so that such work will make more sense in space. He told GeekWire's Alan Boyle that mankind "will have to leave this planet ... and it's going to make the planet better." Earth will be"zoned" as residential and light industrial, while heavy industry will be moved into space powered by 24/7 solar energy.

Bezos said that Blue Origin has a lunar lander on the drawing boards that could be able to deliver a 5 ton payload to the lunar surface. He said that it could start flying by 2020. He said that the discovery of water ice deposits near the lunar poles could be converted into air, potable water and fuel for reusable rockets.

While Bezos says that the project would be easier with a government partner, "we will do that, even if NASA doesn't do it."

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report