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The Jeff Bezos-backed space company Blue Origin has lost its battle for the lucrative Lunar Lander contract. The contract initially went to SpaceX, which the lawsuit argued was unfair.
Blue Origin filed suit in September over NASA awarding the contract to SpaceX in April of the same year, citing unfairness in the selection process. The case argued that one contractor would not be enough to handle the job. Bezos asserted he also felt that his company was not adequately evaluated for the contract and was unjustly ruled out.
The months-long battle was ended by Judge Richard Hertling of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He found in favor of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and NASA.
Reactions to the Ruling
In response to the decision, Blue Origin stated the lawsuit “highlighted the important safety issues with the Human Landing System procurement process that must still be addressed.”
Work will now continue “as soon as possible,” according to NASA. The agency also assured that there will be more chances for cooperation with other companies, adding, “there will be forthcoming opportunities for companies to partner with NASA in establishing a long-term human presence at the Moon under the agency’s Artemis program.”
Blue Origin still believes that the Artemis mission will require a more equitable, balanced, and cooperative approach that promotes competition. In the meantime, it appears Bezos is not seeking an appeal but remains devoted to the mission’s success.
Bezos tweeted this is “not the decision we wanted, but we respect the court’s judgment,” adding a photo of the court decision.
SpaceX has not responded as of the time of this writing. However, Musk did reply to a CNBC tweet on the news, responding with a picture from the 2012 movie “Dredd.” The words on the photo read, “you have been judged.”
Written by Chiagozie Onyewuchi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Source:
CNBC: Bezos’ Blue Origin loses NASA lawsuit over SpaceX $2.9 billion lunar lander contract; by Michael Sheetz
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Steve Jurvetson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Kelly Michals’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
