A $ 2.9 billion human landing system (HLS) contract was won by NASA’s rival SpaceX company Elona Muska in April. But Blue Origin and a third company, Dynetics, have filed a protest against the decision, which is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. Government’s Office of Control. According to the American media, Bezos’ offer can confuse situations a lot.
Goal: to return the Americans to the moon
Under the Artemis program, the United States is trying to return to the moon by 2024 – so far without a human crew. The United States would like to use the experience gained from these missions to prepare for a manned flight to Mars in 2030 – ideally with the Americans already staying on Mars in some form.
In a letter to NASA chief Bill Nelson Bezos, he said the offer “should bridge the funding gap,” which led the space agency to select only one supplier instead of two to compete with each other.
–
Since Blue Origin lost the contract, it has been actively lobbying for the repeal of the decision, leading the U.S. Senate to pass a law agreeing to add $ 10 billion to the manned module system. However, the law is still being debated in the House of Representatives, and critics have called it “Bezos’ rescue.”
According to Bezos, the main advantage of the Blue Origin landing module is the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel that can be extracted from moon ice. This is in line with NASA’s plans to use the Moon to refuel rockets for operations deeper in the solar system. He added that his company will test its landing module in orbit around the Earth at its own expense.
“We are ready to help NASA mitigate technical risks and address budgetary constraints and return the Artemis program to a more competitive, credible and sustainable path,” Bezos added.
It is not yet clear whether this last-minute Bezos intervention will affect the outcome of the contract award.
Bezos and the universe
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, as CEO, president and shareholder of Amazon, has been investing heavily in the space industry in recent years. His activities in the pursuit of commercial tourist flights into space are most visible – in July he looked alone at the border of space on board his ship.
– .
