It was told in an initial report from CNBC that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims struck down Blue Origin’s lawsuit against NASA.
Federal Judge Richard Hertling gave the verdict in favor of NASA this Thursday. NASA stated that SpaceX would resume “as soon as possible” now that the case is cleared. “There will be forthcoming opportunities for companies to partner with NASA in establishing a long-term human presence at the moon under the agency’s Artemis program.” It was stated by Blue Origin that “highlighted the important safety issues with the Human Landing System procurement process that must still be addressed,” according to the CNBC report.
“Returning astronauts safely to the moon through NASA’s public-private partnership model requires an unprejudiced procurement process alongside sound policy that incorporates redundant systems and promotes competition,” Blue Origin’s statement said. “Blue Origin remains deeply committed to the success of the Artemis program.” Jeff Bezos tweeted that the ruling was “not the decision he wanted,” but accepted the loss: “We respect the court’s judgment”. In other words, it looks like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will no longer contest NASA’s award to SpaceX or appeal the court’s findings.”
Elon Musk was soon found to be tweeting a meme of a 2021 remake of a 1990s sci-fi flick “Judge Dredd”, that read: “You Have Been Judged!”. SpaceX was awarded a contract by NASA for the Human Landing System program. SpaceX’s contract, worth $2.9 billion, undercut Blue Origin’s offering. Bezo’s company protested to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), saying they did not know there was going to be a second bid.
The GAO denied Blue Origin’s appeal in July that led to a full-blown legal action. SpaceX will use its Starship rocket to take astronauts to the lunar surface for NASA’s Artemis missions, which were delayed due to legal matters. Bezos’ company has still experienced opposition despite the fact that the company led crewed flights of its New Shepard rocket (including one with “Star Trek” actor William Shatner).
Blue Origin recently faced employees leaving the company due to safety issues and unethical work environments. However, this does not mean that SpaceX is a perfect model of aerospace ethics.
