Jeff Bezos tries to get NASA to pick his company's lunar lander with $2 billion discount

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is, like, super into space at the moment. After owning his own space company, Blue Origin, for over 20 years, the businessman has finally gone kinda-close to space. After his recent adventure, he's trying to push NASA picking his company to take humans to the moon.

Up against rival Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, the ex-Amazon CEO is desperately trying to get the space agency on his side. In fact, he's going so far as to give NASA a massive $2 Billion discount if they pick his company.

Jeff Bezos wants NASA to pick him3

In a letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Jeff Bezos tried to sweeten the pot to Blue Origin's space contract to be picked. Bezos’ plea offered the space agency a $2 billion discount for two years of contract payments if his contract gets chosen.

Bezos wants his company's Blue Moon lunar lander to be used in NASA's Human Landing System program. The NASA project will see humans returning to the moon for the first time in decades. Furthermore, Bezos offered the agency a free test launch to low-Earth orbit by his space company.

In the letter, the Amazon founder said:

“I believe this mission is important. I am honored to offer these contributions and am grateful to be in a financial position to be able to do so. NASA veered from its original dual-source acquisition strategy due to perceived near-term budgetary issues, and this offer removes that obstacle.”

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SpaceX is already involved

Bezos' letter comes after news that the Government Accountability Office is about to rule on Blue Origin's formal protest. Blue Origin filed a formal protest over NASA's plans to use Musk's SpaceX to take humans to the moon.

NASA plans to have humans on the moon again by 2024. The agency's limited budget resulted in the choice to go with SpaceX, despite offers from Bezos' company and Dynetics. However, as plans are going forward with SpaceX, it won't be so easy for Blue Origin to join in.

Whether or not NASA decides to go with the Bezos Bailout or not is undecided. However, if Bezos can fund a healthy portion of the agency's budget, what's to stop Musk from retaliating the in the same way?

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