Technology 9/11: Blue Origin speeds up with NASA in the race to the Moon

Blue Origin is ready to help NASA send people to the Moon

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company will do everything it can to help the US get to the moon faster. He stressed that Blue Origin has new ideas to shorten the route and hopes NASA will consider them carefully.

NASA currently aims to land Artemis III in 2027. However, at this pace, China could surpass the US in returning humans to the Moon, so NASA has asked SpaceX and Blue Origin to propose an acceleration plan.

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early on January 16, 2025. (Source: Blue Origin)

According to Ars Technica, Blue Origin is developing a faster architecture, including multiple versions of the Mk.1 lander and a new variant called the Mk.1.5. This is a step to meet NASA's time-saving requirements.

Despite the acceleration, Limp insists Blue Origin still wants to maintain its goal of building a sustainable system: reusable landers, permanent settlements on the Moon, and viewing the Moon as a springboard for expansion throughout the Solar System.

Blue Origin is also testing its New Glenn rocket. After its first launch in January, the company improved the BE-4 engine launch and shutdown process to prepare for a successful booster landing on its next launch.

Nvidia CEO reveals huge demand for Blackwell chips

CEO Jensen Huang said the Blackwell chip line is in extremely strong demand in the market. This is Nvidia's latest generation of GPUs and CPUs, designed with networking and switching systems, forming a comprehensive chip platform for artificial intelligence.

Blackwell is seen as a key driver in Nvidia’s continued leadership in AI, with memory partners SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron all expanding their capacity to meet Nvidia’s massive demand for the chips.

Huang acknowledged that there could be shortages at various points, but stressed that Nvidia has received the most advanced memory samples to combine with Blackwell. SK Hynix has even sold out of chip production for next year, while Samsung is preparing the HBM4 generation to support Blackwell.

Blackwell is not only a new product, but also the foundation for a “super cycle” of AI chips, promising to drive strong growth for Nvidia in the coming years.

Waymo expands self-driving taxi service

This week, Waymo announced it would deploy robotaxis in Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Diego—all car-dependent U.S. cities where public transportation systems are largely bus-based.

Waymo’s self-driving cars are safer around pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists, according to data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are able to handle situations like humans, making their behavior on the road more predictable.

Aerial view of the Waymo self-driving car fleet storage facility. (Source: Getty Images)

Although they can reduce accidents, robotaxis are still considered a “half-baked solution”. They are still based on the model of private cars – which take up a lot of space and cannot replace buses, trams or trains in building crowded urban areas.

The expansion of robotaxis may contribute to reducing road deaths, but it also comes with consequences: increased social isolation, the generation of microplastics from tires, and the perpetuation of the mindset that asphalt and private cars are the foundation of urbanism.

Mr. Quang

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-nghe-9-11-blue-origin-tang-toc-cung-nasa-trong-cuoc-dua-len-mat-trang-ar986115.html