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Fresh out of his space trip, Jeff Bezos on Monday offered to cover up to $ 2 billion in costs for NASA if the US space agency awarded his company Blue Origin a contract to build a spacecraft designed for bring astronauts back to the moon.
NASA awarded SpaceX, owned by billionaire rival Elon Musk, a $ 2.9 billion contract in April to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2024, rejecting offers from Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics. Blue Origin had partnered with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper as part of the offer.
The space agency cited its own funding shortfalls, SpaceX’s proven track record of orbital missions and other factors in a contractual decision that top NASA official Kathy Lueders called “what’s the best value for the government “.
In a letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Bezos said Blue Origin would forgo current fiscal year payments from the government and beyond of up to $ 2 billion, and pay for an orbital mission to verify its technology. . In return, Blue Origin would agree to a firm fixed-price contract and cover any system development cost overruns, Bezos said.
“NASA has deviated from its original dual-source acquisition strategy due to perceived short-term budget issues, and this offer removes that hurdle,” Bezos wrote.
A NASA spokesperson said the agency was aware of Bezos’ letter but declined to comment further, citing the protest Blue Origin filed with the U.S. government’s accountability office accusing the agency of giving to SpaceX an unfair advantage by allowing it to revise its prices.
GAO’s decision is expected in early August, although industry sources have said Blue Origin considers the possibility of a reversal unlikely.
A SpaceX spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Before choosing SpaceX, NASA had requested proposals for a spacecraft that would transport astronauts to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program to bring humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972. Blue’s lunar lander Origin is called “Blue Moon”. Bezos and Musk are the richest and third richest people in the world, respectively, according to Forbes.
Bezos’ offer came six days after he flew alongside three space-edge teammates aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and capsule, a milestone in the company’s attempt to become a major player in an emerging space tourism market.
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