Murray was instrumental in securing the funding to make this award possible, expanding the federal aerospace footprint in Washington state has been a top priority for Senator Murray.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded NASA’s announcement that Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, won a $190 million contract to land a NASA Science mission—the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or “VIPER” rover—on the South Pole of the Moon. This mission will collect samples and search for ice to serve as a precursor to returning humans to the Moon. The contract is under the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Murray was instrumental in securing the funding to make this award possible, expanding the federal aerospace footprint in Washington state has been a top priority for Senator Murray.
“This announcement is fantastic news for Kent-based Blue Origin and Washington state’s entire aerospace economy, which supports nearly 200,000 jobs and keeps our state on the cutting-edge of scientific discovery. This contract means that Blue Origin will help lay the groundwork for humans returning to the Moon—that’s a big deal!” said Senator Murray. “Washington state has long been a world leader in aerospace manufacturing and engineering—which is critical to our state’s economy—and our influence is only growing. As a longtime supporter of Washington state’s aerospace sector and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will keep fighting for federal investment in the innovation that keeps America at the forefront of human discovery.”
To continue American leadership in space, Senator Murray secured $24.9 billion for NASA in the fiscal year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Senator Murray was able to secure significant resources to enable the goal of returning Americans to the Moon, providing $7.67 billion for Exploration. The resources for NASA have supported progress on the Artemis Campaign Development, including funding for NASA to meet all contractual obligations for both Human Landing Systems in fiscal year 2024. The funding levels Murray secured were mostly extended in fiscal year 2025. Senator Murray currently working to pass a full year spending bill to fund NASA for fiscal year 2026. The VIPER launch is scheduled for late 2027. It will be the second launch of the Blue Moon robotic lander and the second CLPS contract for Blue Origin. The first CLPS launch is expected at the end of this year.
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