Blue Origin, NASA Re-Create Moon’s Gravity

New Shepard suborbital rocket simulates two minutes of lunar gravity, allowing the space agency and its partners to test out technologies.

Monday, February 10, 2025 at 01:24 PM ET

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket lifts off on its 29th mission on February 4, during which it simulated lunar gravity for about two minutes. [Courtesy: Blue Origin]

Key Takeaways:

NASA and Blue Origin successfully simulated lunar gravity for two minutes on a New Shepard suborbital flight, greatly extending previous testing capabilities.
The New Shepard crew capsule was modified to spin at 11 revolutions per minute, creating a sustained one-sixth Earth gravity environment.
This extended simulation is crucial for reducing risk and thoroughly testing 30 diverse payloads and technologies destined for future lunar missions, at a fraction of the cost.

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When NASA sends a rover or other piece of technology to the moon, there is no guarantee it will work under lunar gravity—an object that weighs 100 pounds on Earth weighs just 16.5 pounds on the moon. But the space agency now has a way to give lunar technologies a dress rehearsal.

Last week, Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard rocket—equipped with 30 payloads from NASA and other partners—simulated the moon’s gravity for two minutes during a suborbital flight. Previously, NASA could only recreate lunar gravity for seconds at a time, leaving a degree of uncertainty as to how payloads might perform on the moon.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.