Amazon founder Jeff Bezos attempted to sue NASA after his space company wasn’t selected to build its lunar lander. Despite rivals telling the billionaire that he can’t “sue himself to space”, Bezos refused to step down.
However, after months of continuing the lawsuit, Bezos’ space company Blue Origin hasn’t won anything. Instead of nabbing the lunar lander from final SpaceX, Blue Origin will not be getting a large contract.
Judge turns down Jeff Bezos NASA lawsuit
The Court of Federal Claims immediately shot down Bezos’ lawsuit in a single page ruling. The judge’s full opinion won’t be made public by the court until November 18th, unless Blue Origin wishes to.
In a statement, Blue Origin expressed its opinion regarding the current lunar lander that it will be doing to risk assessment for. The company said:
Our lawsuit with the Court of Federal Claims highlighted the important safety issues with the Human Landing System procurement process that must still be addressed. Returning astronauts safely to the Moon through NASA’s public-private partnership model requires an unprejudiced procurement process alongside sound policy that incorporates redundant systems and promotes competition.”
On the other hand, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos was more relaxed on the matter. In a simple tweet, he said: “Not the decision we wanted, but we respect the court’s judgment, and wish full success for NASA and SpaceX on the contract.”
Read More: 3D animated lasers replicate iconic Star Trek and Star Wars scenes better than holograms
What’s next for Blue Origin?
With Blue Origin concretely losing out on the lunar lander contract, what is next for the company? Outside of continuing its private space trips, the company will still be assisting SpaceX by performing risk assessment on its lander. However, it seems likely that the company will struggle to acquire new government contracts after its NASA lawsuit.
Read More: NASA astronauts have to pee themselves because SpaceX can’t make a working toilet