SpaceX Asked by NASA to Halt Lunar Lander Work Pending Contract Challenges

NASA awarded SpaceX the lunar contract over Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defence contractor Dynetics.

SpaceX Asked by NASA to Halt Lunar Lander Work Pending Contract Challenges

Photo Credit: Reuters

The project awarded to SpaceX aims to put humans back on the Moon

Highlights
  • NASA's decision means SpaceX has to halt the Moon programme work
  • Blue Origin on Monday filed a protest with the US government
  • SpaceX rival Dynetics has also challenged the Nasa contract award
Advertisement

US space agency NASA has told Elon Musk's SpaceX to halt work under a contract it won to develop a lunar spacecraft, pending the outcome of challenges by rival bidders at the US Government Accountability Office, the agency said on Friday.

NASA's decision means SpaceX has to stop any work specifically related to the Moon programme contract until the GAO makes a ruling, expected August 4 at the latest.

A SpaceX spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, NASA awarded SpaceX the lunar contract over billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics.

The high-profile project aims to put humans back on the Moon for the first time since 1972.

Blue Origin on Monday filed a protest with the GAO, arguing among other things that NASA gave SpaceX the chance to revise its bid but did not give that chance to Blue Origin.

Blue Origin also argues the decision extends SpaceX's "monopolistic" control in space exploration.

The GAO confirmed that Dynetics has also challenged the NASA contract award to SpaceX.

"Pursuant to the GAO protests, NASA instructed SpaceX that progress on the HLS (human landing system) contract has been suspended until GAO resolves all outstanding litigation related to this procurement," the agency said on Friday.

© Thomson Reuters 2021


We dive into all things Apple — iPad Pro, iMac, Apple TV 4K, and AirTag — this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: NASA, SpaceX, Moon lander, Dynetics
Moto G40 Fusion to Go on Sale in India Today via Flipkart: Price, Specifications
EU Court to Rule May 12 on Amazon Appeal of Order to Pay EUR 250 Million in Back Taxes
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »