NASA has told SpaceX to cease all work on its lunar landing contract, a request made after two other private aerospace companies protested the deal.
They are Blue Origin and Dynetics, who protested NASA’s decision to close out a $2.9 billion contract to build the landing system with SpaceX.
It is now up to the Government Accountability Office to analyze the protests to see whether or not the contract can be revoked. The suspension may only be temporary, but all pending litigation related to this acquisition must first be analyzed.
Protests from Jeff Bezos’ (amazon owner) Blue Origin and Dynetics were filed last Monday, stating that awarding the contract only to SpaceX jeopardizes the Artemis program’s 2024 goal of returning to the moon.
A statement reads: “NASA has executed a flawed procurement for the Human Landing System (HLS) program and moved the goalposts at the last minute. The available agency chose SpaceX because of its Starship reusable rocket system, which has a large payload capacity and a relatively lower bid.”
