Bezos targets a sustainable lunar base after investing $28 billion since 2000

More than 50 years after the first crewed moon landing, Jeff Bezos has a straightforward explanation for why returning to the lunar surface remains so difficult. The Amazon founder says the United States devoted almost 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to the effort in 1969, making Apollo an exceptionally expensive national project. During an October 2026 interview with Fox News presenter Bret Baier, Bezos argued that the next phase of exploration must take a different approach. He tentatively identified December 2026 as the month for a lunar mission later this year. Rather than sending astronauts on brief visits, he wants to build a sustainable lunar base, backed by billions of dollars in investment through his space company, Blue Origin.Jeff Bezos reveals why the 1969 moon landing cost the US billionsBezos's explanation centres on the financial commitment behind the original moon landing. Speaking to Baier, he recalled that the United States devoted almost 3% of its GDP to the effort in 1969. The figure, he argued, helps explain why the achievement cannot simply be repeated by recreating the technology used during the Apollo missions.The Apollo programme was a national under...