WASHINGTON – Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, is suing the United States government over its decision to award a massive moon exploration contract to competitor SpaceX, it said in a statement yesterday.
The company has filed a suit with the US federal claims court “in an attempt to remedy the flaws” in how the contract was awarded, said the statement.
The human landing system contract, worth US$2.9 billion (RM12.3 billion), was given to SpaceX, owned by Bezos’ billionaire rival Elon Musk, in April.
It was protested against by other bidders, who argued that Nasa is required to make multiple awards, and that the evaluation process was unfair.
“We firmly believe that the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the moon for America,” said Blue Origin.
Since losing the contract, Blue Origin has strongly lobbied to have the decision reversed. It filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office, but last month, the watchdog upheld Nasa’s decision.
The US space agency in a statement yesterday said it has been notified of Blue Origin’s suit and is reviewing the case.
“With our partners, we will go to the moon and stay to enable science investigations, develop new technology, and create high-paying jobs for the greater good and in preparation to send astronauts to Mars.”
Under the Artemis programme, Nasa is planning to return humans to the moon in the middle of this decade and build a lunar orbital station, before a crewed mission is sent to Mars in the 2030s.
Musk’s company, founded in 2002, is currently Nasa’s leading private sector partner. – AFP, August 17, 2021
