Space company Blue Origin filed a complaint on Monday protesting NASA's decision to choose SpaceX to build the moon landing craft that will drop the next US astronauts on the moon.
For the first time in fact, NASA has chosen only one winner, which is detrimental to competition, according to Blue Origin.
Space company Blue Origin filed a complaint on Monday protesting NASA's decision to choose SpaceX to build the moon landing craft that will drop the next US astronauts on the moon.
"NASA made a flawed acquisition for its" lunar vessel program, "and changed the rules of the game at the last moment," billionaire Jeff Bezos' company denounced in a statement to AFP.
A $ 2.9 billion contract that eliminates all competition
This "decision eliminates the possibility of competition and does not only delay, but also jeopardize America's return to the Moon", currently announced for 2024, continues the company. "Therefore, we have filed a complaint" with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency under the United States Congress.
The US Space Agency announced a little over a week ago that it had chosen the company of billionaire Elon Musk, and his Starship rocket still in development, to return to the moon.
A contract which amounts to 2.9 billion dollars.
According to Blue Origin, NASA misjudged the risks induced by the choice of the SpaceX solution, of "an entirely new vehicle" for which "the development is notoriously difficult", underlines the complaint, of which AFP has consulted a copy .
Prototypes of this rocket are currently being tested in Texas, but the latest tests have resulted in impressive explosions.
A single winner, a first
In addition, the choice of the US Space Agency to award only one winner and not two, contrary to what had been asserted "during the process of submission" of the proposals, is at "high risk", because it Deprives her of "a back-up plan", argues Blue Origin.
This decision also creates "a potential monopoly for all future exploration missions," she continues.
Blue Origin, which had partnered with three big names in the aerospace industry to respond to NASA's call for tenders (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper), finally deplores that the US Agency has "paid the price (cost to government) the most important factor "because of" perceived "cuts to budgets.
The company claims that it overturns its decision, and that it "solicits new offers" by clarifying the "available funds". Asked by AFP, NASA did not comment but confirmed to have been notified on Monday of the complaint.