Even if you are the world’s richest person, you can’t always get what you want.
That is was billionaire Jeff Bezos learned Friday, after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) rejected Blue Origin’s lawsuit against NASA’s decision to award a $2.89 billion contract solely to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. According to a statement by the GAO, NASA is within its rights to chose one single company to construct its Artemis lunar lander. Back in April, the firm-fixed price contract was finalized with SpaceX, but was soon put on pause after both Blue Origin and rival Dynetics Inc— both of which were also bidding on the contract— filed a legal complaint against the decision.
Similarly, defence contractor Dynetics’ protest was also rejected, with the GAO noting that NASA “reserved the right to make multiple awards, a single award, or no award at all.” When the space agency initially granted the contract to SpaceX, it said that Elon Musk’s company was greatly rated, and represented “the best value to the government.” Not only did SpaceX put in a lower bid, the space exploration company also had previous experience working alongside NASA, when it brought three astronauts to the International Space Station back in November.
However, the previous relationship between NASA and SpaceX did not deter Bezos, who earlier this week offered the space agency $2 billion if they reversed their original decision and instead granted Blue Origin a fixed-price contract for the slated moon mission.
Information for this briefing was found via the GAO. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
