Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company, Blue Origin, has filed a federal lawsuit against the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a U.S. government agency, after awarding a moon landing contract to rival company Space X, owned by Elon Musk.
Bezos and Musk are said to currently be two of the most powerful Chief Executive Officers in the world.
The lawsuit was reportedly filed on Friday, but its details are not yet available to the public because they are under seal.
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Space X was awarded the $2.9 billion worth contract to build spacecrafts to carry astronauts to the lunar surface, under NASA’s Artemis programme.
According to Sky News, a Blue Origin spokesperson said the company wants to “remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA’s Human Landing System”.
NASA seeks to use private-sector contracting to develop, build and test the vehicle that will put astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972.
“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,” Blue Origin’s spokesperson added.
NASA had initially pledged to offer multiple contracts to spur the development of at least two lunar landers. Space X, Blue Origin and Dynetics had been competing for the contracts but, after funding from Congress was less than expected, NASA decided to award just one contract.
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Space X was awarded the contract in April and Blue Origin had protested the decision last month but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sided with NASA over its decision to choose a single bidder.
NASA is expected to respond to the lawsuit by October 12.
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