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SpaceX received an exclusive $ 2.9 billion contract on Friday to help NASA return to the moon.
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NASA and SpaceX have negotiated a contract, excluding Blue Origin, based on the high first bid.
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“We want to learn more about the choice,” a Blue Origin spokesman told Insider.
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Many figures in the space and science communities are looking for more details on how NASA chose only SpaceX for its return to the moon, when the agency’s stated plans asked for two commercial partners.
SpaceX competed against Blue Origin and Dynetics for some contracts for NASA’s Artemis program. But NASA announced on Friday that SpaceX will get an exclusive $ 2.9 billion contract.
Blue Origin collaborated with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper to form ‘The National Team’.
A Blue Origin spokesman told Insider in an email on Saturday: “The national team does not have much information yet. We want to find out more about the selection.”
Elsewhere, celebrations were in order.
“NASA rules !!” Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, said. “We are honored to be part of the @NASAArtemis team.”
Last year, NASA selected the three companies to develop a new ‘human landing system’, or HLS, in NASA’s shorthand. The agency plans to return to the moon only in 2024 and eventually set up a permanent base there.
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, named its lunar lander Blue Moon. Dynetics, a defense contractor, calls its design the Dynetics Human Landing System.
The fast HLS, SpaceX’s Starship, uses the company’s Raptor engines, along with designs from its Falcon 9 and Dragon vehicles, NASA said. It will be completely reusable, with a landing system designed “to travel to the Moon, Mars and other destinations.”
“By taking a collaborative approach to working with industry while leveraging NASA’s proven technical expertise and capabilities, we will bring American astronauts back to the lunar surface, this time to explore new areas for longer periods,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan. NASA’s HLS Program Manager, in a statement.
NASA was expected to select two of the companies. But the budget issues, according to the agency, led to the choice of SpaceX, which restructured its proposal to meet NASA’s spending expectations.
NASA selected SpaceX as a “conditional selection” on April 2, which enabled the agency to begin post-selection negotiations with it, according to a document compiled by Kathryn Lueders, Source Selection Authority.
Lueders wrote that each of the three companies’ “Option A” proposals were higher than the agency’s proposed budget for the HLS program.
Lueders added: ‘It was my intention that NASA should open as a first step price discussions with the option A provider, which is highly regarded from both a technical and management perspective and which also has the lowest with a wide margin originally suggested price – SpaceX. “
According to NASA, Musk’s company resubmitted its proposal on April 7.
“Although SpaceX’s revised proposal includes an updated milestone phasing that fits within NASA’s current budget, SpaceX did not propose an overall price reduction,” Lueders wrote.
Following the announcement, SpaceX employees and space enthusiasts flooded LinkedIn and Twitter with positive messages. Many posted rocket emojis, as might be expected.
But other space enthusiasts and budgeters are questioning NASA’s decision to abandon one trading partner for such a monumental mission.
Casey Dreier, chief advocate and senior adviser in space at The Planetary Society, said via Twitter that he was “honestly shocked” that NASA would choose a single commercial partner. Several partners will increase the competition, he said.
“Of course, SpaceX always acts as if it is a constant competition with itself. And so far it is delivering 100% on its capability and price promise,” Dreier said.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, of Alabama, issued a statement saying that NASA’s decision “raised many questions.”
SpaceX has previously entered into agreements with NASA and the US Air Force with ‘very high’ price tags, he said.
He added: “The years of delay in the development of the Falcon Heavy, as well as recent tests of the Starship program as reported in the news, also raise technical and scheduling questions.”
Several of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes exploded during test flights.
Dynetics did not return a request for comment Saturday.
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