The contract for the $ 2.9 billion lunar module goes to Elon Musk’s SpaceX – Jeff Bezos is suing against it.
Washington (DC) – A billion-dollar contract and two competitors – sounds like a pre-programmed conflict: The NASA contract to build a lunar module went to the space company called SpaceX from Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos disagreed with the award and responded with a lawsuit to the US government.
In April, NASA awarded the $ 2.9 billion contract to SpaceX and Elon Musk. As Blue Origin announced last Monday (August 16, 2021), the order is intended to correct “errors” in the award procedure for the new lunar module of the NASA space agency. Right from the start, Blue Origin protested against the NASA decision and shortly thereafter complained to the US Court of Auditors. NASA was informed and is reviewing the case.
Space travel: NASA wants to shoot people at the moon again
“We strongly believe that the issues in the procurement process and its outcome need to be resolved in order to restore fairness, ensure competition and ensure a safe return to the moon for America,” said Blue Origin. For the first time since 1972, NASA wants to fly people to the moon again and will start the test flights with the Artemis 1 mission at the end of the year. The test flights will initially run without passengers. The rocket is just orbiting the moon and not landing yet.
With the Artemis 2 mission, astronauts will then fly with you in 2023. With Artemis 3, the astronauts will actually land with the machine. Ex-President Donald Trump had set the year 2024 as the deadline. The question arises as to whether Joe Biden wants to stick to the schedule.
Bezos’ big competitors: With his recycling rockets, Tesla boss Elon Musk will most likely own the first private company to transport astronauts into space. But Richard Branson is also a strong opponent for the Amazon boss. Branson was the first billionaire to make it into space and that before Bezos. (Ares Abasi)
