NASA has ordered SpaceX to pause its development of a human landing system (HLS) for its intended return to the moon while awaiting the results of Blue Origin’s challenge to the SpaceX contract win. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin filed its official complaint earlier this week citing inconsistencies between NASA’s competition guidelines and how the contract was awarded. While Elon Musk appears to be relaxed about Blue Origin’s appeal, NASA is taking it more seriously.
It was announced that SpaceX had won NASA’s year-long competition earlier this month, with it beating Blue Origin and Dynetics in the process. Naturally, the defeated companies weren’t happy with the decision. A few days ago, Blue Origin revealed a 50-page complaint detailing why NASA was wrong to choose SpaceX over others, pointing to higher risk factors, and arguing that the decision extended SpaceX’s monopolistic control in space exploration. The challenge was filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which provides independent and non-partisan auditing, evaluation, and investigation of Congress and federal agencies.
As a result, Reuters reports, NASA has told SpaceX to halt its work on the lunar lander project until otherwise advised. The GAO will consider the challenge over the next few months with an official ruling set for August 4 at the latest. Additionally, though the company has kept silent since the competition ended, Dynetics is also said to have filed a challenge against the decision.
What’s Next For SpaceX?
The NASA contract was always going to be a huge stepping stone for SpaceX or whichever company won it. Besides the prestige of winning the corporate race for the return to the moon, it will allow the winner to further the development of its technology and expertise for future space travel via their work on the lander. Blue Origin’s loss — if the decision is upheld — would further extend what is perceived to be a gap between it and the more advanced SpaceX, perhaps calling into question its development mantra that “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
While the GAO considers its decision, SpaceX can focus on its other projects. The company is also in the midst of working on its Starlink satellite internet service, which is currently in beta but is set to be rolled out soon for a wider audience. Elsewhere, SpaceX is also ferrying cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
