However, while the original plan called for two selections, congressional appropriations only gave enough funding for one - which ultimately went to SpaceX. That decision broke the mold of NASA’s successful commercial space programs by putting an end to meaningful competition for years to come.” In an open letter in July, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos wrote: “Instead of investing in two competing lunar landers as originally intended, the Agency chose to confer a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar head start to SpaceX. Blue Origin believes NASA shut out competition Here are four essential facts gathered from Blue Origin’s complaint: 4. SpaceX was the lowest bidder, with Alan Boyle at GeekWire listing the respected proposal prices at $2.9 billion for SpaceX - $3 billion less than Blue Origin’s concept. Congressional appropriations cut the funding from two possible proposals to one. The suit stems from a bid for lunar lander concepts as part of NASA’s Artemis program, which will see humans return to the Moon. Oral arguments on the suit begin in October, and a ruling could come as soon as early October. August 2021: Blue Origin files a lawsuit against NASA.July 2021: The GAO rejects Blue Origin’s protest, setting the stage for the lawsuit.That same month, Blue Origin files its protest to the GAO. April 2021: NASA announces that it had selected SpaceX as the winner of the contract, though originally it had received the smallest award.At least two other companies, Boeing and Vivace, submitted unsuccessful proposals. At the time, Blue Origin received the largest award. It also releases details of the finalists’ vehicles. April 2020: The agency announces its selection of Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Dynetics.September 2019: NASA calls for proposals for its lunar lander, accepting proposals through November of that year.Federal Court of Claims, a new point on a growing timeline: It accuses the agency of flouting rulemaking regulations in an “arbitrary, capricious, and irrational” way, and allowing SpaceX to address potential problems and skimp on Flight Readiness Reviews. The court document, posted in PDF form on CNBC, reveals Blue Origin believes NASA cut corners in order to grant SpaceX a contract, and shut Blue Origin and competitor Dynetics out. Now unsealed court documents show the nature of its SpaceX-centered lawsuit against the government agency. "YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED!" he posted on Twitter, using a meme of the comic book and film character Judge Dredd.Blue Origin was denied a lucrative NASA lunar lander contract - but it’s refusing to go down without a fight. Musk reacted in his signature style-with a bit of snark. "Blue Origin remains deeply committed to the success of the Artemis program, and we have a broad base of activity on multiple contracts with NASA to achieve the United States' goal to return to the Moon to stay," the company said. The justification for the ruling was not immediately made public, and remained under seal.īlue Origin said in a statement that its complaint had "highlighted the important safety issues with the Human Landing System procurement process that must still be addressed." Judge Richard Hertling ruled in NASA's favor on Thursday. The GAO rejected the company's claims, and Blue Origin took the matter to the Court of Federal Claims. In April, NASA announced it had awarded the contract to Musk's company-a deal worth $2.9 billion.īut Blue Origin filed a complaint about the decision to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), saying the bidding process had been unfair and that NASA should have offered more than one contract. "NASA will resume work with SpaceX under the Option A contract as soon as possible," the agency said in a statement after the ruling. The ruling put an end to a months-long legal battle that had prevented the US space agency from working with SpaceX on the lunar lander called Starship, which will allow Americans to return to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
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