Jeff Bezos Wants to Create a Delivery Service for the Moon Will there be Amazon Dash buttons in space?
By Nina Zipkin
It seems that Elon Musk is not the only one with his eye on travel to the moon.
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who, like Musk, is in the reusable rocket game through his company Blue Origin, has reportedly submitted plans to NASA and the White House regarding the development of a lunar lander that would land near the south pole of the moon and be powered by energy from the sun.
It seems that Bezos's vision for Blue Origin also includes applying his expertise in shipping and delivery to outer space. In a memo obtained by The Washington Post, Bezos said he hopes that NASA will support his idea for a service that would ship the equipment necessary to eventually facilitate scientific experiments and to make a habitat fit for humans to settle on the moon.
Related: Elon Musk Is Sending 2 Wealthy Individuals to the Moon
Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, told the paper that "It is time for America to return to the Moon -- this time to stay. A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this."
The CEO said that the first Blue Origin moon mission could happen as soon as the summer of 2020, but that a partnership with NASA is crucial to making that happen. "Our liquid hydrogen expertise and experience with precision vertical landing offer the fastest path to a lunar lander mission," Bezos told the Post. "I'm excited about this and am ready to invest my own money alongside NASA to make it happen."
Earlier this week, Musk announced that SpaceX is planning to send two tourists to the moon in 2018.