Blue Origin’s ‘Ill-Conceived Choices’ Are Delaying NASA’s Moon Missions
An unsealed Federal Court document shows that NASA accuses Blue Origin of “prioritizing its own fortunes over that of NASA, the US, and every person”.
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A recently unsealed Federal Court document reveals NASA accusing Blue Origin of “prioritizing its own fortunes over that of NASA, the United States, and every person alive today”. Blue Origin filed a lawsuit against the US Government when NASA awarded the Human Moon Landing System contract to SpaceX as part of the Artemis program which will return humans to the Moon. Blue Origin bid $5.9 billion for the project which SpaceX won with a lunar lander of $2.9 billion.
The Artemis NASA mission is not only about returning humans to the Moon but about creating a long-term human presence on our natural satellite. The mission under the Artemis Accords includes the participation of US allies in space, the creation of a lunar base, investigations and scientific efforts, and using the Moon as a space base, facilitating jumps to Mars and beyond. The Artemis mission is also tuned in with the new space era which relies heavily on the participation of the private space sector.
The Federal Court released a 59-page document revealing the positions and claims between Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and NASA. In the document, NASA accuses Blue Origin of making a high-budget gamble and losing, and threatening to destroy a “once-in-a-generation momentum” to send humans to the moon through costly, time-consuming, and lengthy legal battles. “In this case, Blue Origin – who seeks to prioritize its own fortunes over that of Nasa, the United States, and every person alive today who dreams to see humans exploring worlds beyond our own,” the document reads.
The Good, The Bad And The Nasty: Private Sector In Space
Top officials at NASA have been warning that the increase of private participation in the space sector could lead to problems. In the latest NASA appearance before Congress, the Blue Origin lawsuit was used as an example of the issues that can arise. Captain Sheppard, former NASA Astronaut, and expert warned Congress that private participation needs to be followed up with a strong government leadership to avoid “everyone going their own way”. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the Blue Origin lawsuit has affected the Moon-mission timeline, throwing everything into question and out of NASA’s control.
While the Federal Court process is expected to end on November 1, the Moon lander construction is on pause until legal resolution. Government-run space programs have their pros and cons, but the idea that the private sector will bring magical solutions to the new space race is an illusion. The private sector brings to space its bright and dark sides, from integration of systems to companies focused on their bottom-line and intense competition or legal complaints. Acting in the sometimes lawless arenas of the new frontier, the good, the bad, and the nasty of the private sector were invited into the game, and now we’re seeing the results.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/blue-origin-moon-artemis-mission-nasa-lawsuit/