Jeff Bezos does not want to be satisfied with NASA’s decision to entrust rival SpaceX with the development of the first commercial lunar landing device. Now he is again putting pressure on the US space agency – with an offer of money.
Jeff Bezos space company Blue Origin could not prevail in the tendering process of the US space agency Nasa for the first commercial lunar landing device, now Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has tried again with a money offer. As Bezos wrote in an open letter to Nasa boss Bill Nelson on Monday, Blue Origin would, among other things, assume costs of up to two billion dollars for the development and manufacture of the lunar lander in this and the next two years if the company were to take on another competitor SpaceX by Elon Musk is allowed to compete. At first, NASA did not respond to this, at least in public.
Bezos is not satisfied with the NASA decision
The agency decided against Blue Origin when the tender was issued in April and instead commissioned SpaceX to develop the first commercial landing device that is supposed to take astronauts to the moon. The contract, valued at nearly three billion dollars, is part of what is known as the Artemis program. Since the decision, the company Blue Origin, whose spaceship “New Shepard” founder Bezos took a short trip into space last week, has protested against it several times.
Reusable take-off and landing system for flights to the moon and Mars
In the mission planned for 2024 at the earliest, four astronauts are to be brought into lunar orbit with the spacecraft “Orion”, where two of them will transfer to the SpaceX landing vehicle for the final approach to the moon. The aim is therefore to develop a completely reusable take-off and landing system that can be used for flights to destinations such as the moon and Mars.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
