It is the next level of escalation in the dispute between billionaires Jeff Bezos (57) and Elon Musk (50). The space company Blue Origin of Amazon founder Bezos has sued the US government for a billion-dollar contract with the competitor SpaceX from Tesla founder Elon Musk, according to several media reports.
As Blue Origin announced on Monday, the lawsuit goes into “errors” in the award procedure for the new lunar module of the NASA space agency. The company awarded the $ 2.9 billion (2.65 billion Swiss francs) contract to SpaceX in April.
“Restore fairness”
Blue Origin protested against NASA’s decision immediately after the award to SpaceX. Among other things, Bezos’ company has lodged a complaint with the US audit office. Nasa had been informed of the lawsuit and is examining the case.
Blue Origin: “We firmly believe that the issues in the procurement process and its outcome need to be resolved in order to restore fairness, ensure competition and ensure a safe return to the moon for America.”
Bezos wants the job – no matter what the cost
Amazon founder Bezos had already announced his displeasure about the lost order several times. The entrepreneur even offered NASA cash. If the company were allowed to compete against SpaceX again, Blue Origin would, among other things, assume costs of up to two billion dollars for the development and manufacture of the lunar landing device.
The mission, which is planned for 2024 at the earliest, is expected to put four astronauts into orbit of the moon. For the approach to the moon, two of them will then transfer to the SpaceX lunar module. (gif)