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The conflict between billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the world’s second and third richest man in space, has taken a new turn, reaching the point of litigation.
According to “CNN”, “Blue Origin”, owned by Bezos and specializing in space flight services, has filed a complaint to oppose the decision made by the US space agency “NASA” to choose the competitor “SpaceX” , which belongs to his rival Musk, and not the others, to win by organizing the “Landing on the Moon” program, as part of his “Artemis” program.
The network explained that this step of “Blue Origin” fuels the flames of the already heated conflict between it and “SpaceX” over the program sponsored by “NASA” and which allocated it several billion dollars.
Noting that the details of the lawsuit have not been disclosed so far, as its documents bear the seal of confidentiality, but “Blue Origin” said the lawsuit is an “attempt to repair the loopholes that have been discovered in the acquisition of the program. ”The idea of the program is to involve the private sector in the development, construction and testing of the vehicle that will bring astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time in half a century.
And NASA had pledged to award multiple contracts under the program to a number of companies, amounting to at least two, for the two companies to compete against each other, but last April it announced the awarding a contract worth $ 2.9 billion and awarding SpaceX because of cost, that is, Congress didn’t give her all the money she had asked to implement the program.
Blue Origin tried to challenge NASA’s decision with the Government Accountability Office, but sided with the agency. Blue Origin added: “We are convinced that the issues identified in the process and results of this contract must be addressed in order to restore justice, create competition and ensure America’s safe return to the world. moon.” Last Monday, NASA released a statement saying it had been made aware of the lawsuit and is currently reviewing the details, saying it will issue an update on how to get back to the moon quickly and safely. within the framework of the “Artemis” program.
A judge granted Blue Origin’s request to seal the lawsuit, arguing that it could reveal “proprietary information, trade secrets and confidential financial data” and cause “serious damage to competition.”
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