Blue Origin (Bezos) sues NASA in court for selection of SpaceX’s lunar lander (Musk)
Blue Origin doesn’t budge: After months of protesting NASA’s decision to select SpaceX to build its next moon landing module, Jeff Bezos’ space company announced Monday that it has filed a complaint in federal court against the US space agency.
►►► Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, cockfighting in space
“Blue Origin sued the US Federal Claims CourtA foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement sent to AFP, describing the decision asAttempting to correct flaws in the NASA acquisition process“.
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“We firmly believe that the issues identified in this acquisition must be addressed to restore neutrality, create competition, and ensure America’s safe return to the Moon.‘, he completed.
NASA announced in April that it had awarded Elon Musk a project to build a Manned Lunar Landing System (HLS), for $2.9 billion.
In April, contenders for this call for tenders, including Blue Origin, filed a first complaint with the Congressional Public Accounts Oversight Authority (GAO), believing that NASA’s evaluation process was unfair. He named several winners.
Ensuring America’s Safe Return to the Moon
But the Gendarmerie of Public Contracts rejected this complaint at the end of July, considering that NASA had not violated the applicable regulations, and confirmed that it had reserved itself.The right to select more than one winner, one winner, or no winner“.
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Blue Origin responded to this announcement by claiming that the Government Accountability Office was unable to respond to “basic problemsFor NASA’s decision, due to its limited jurisdiction, the company has promised to continue the fight.
The US space agency confirmed on Monday that it had been notified of the complaint and that officials “Currently studying the detailsShe said in a statement.
NASA, through its Artemis program, aims to return American astronauts to the Moon in 2024, including the first woman. It is considered a very ambitious timetable.
“As soon as possible, the agency will provide updated information on how to proceed to return to the Moon as quickly and safely as possible.NASA added in its statement Monday.
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