Jeff Bezos gives NASA $ 2 billion kickback for Moof landing gear

Washington | Billionaire Jeff Bezos, owner of space agency Blue Origin, on Monday gave NASA a $ 2 billion cut to build a moon landing system for his company.

Rival SpaceX was awarded the US space agency’s contract for a $ 2.9 billion mand landing system in April, while Blue Origin and a third party, Dynetics, filed complaints pending a decision by the U.S. Government Accounts Office.

As part of the Artemis program the United States will attempt to return to the moon by 2024, and then use the lessons to prepare for a mission for humans to Mars in the 2030s.

In an open letter to NASA on Monday, Jeff Bezos said his offer would “close the funding gap”, which led the U.S. space agency to choose only one company instead of two, which would be competitive.

Since NASA’s failure in the tender, Blue Origin has led to a lobbying to overturn the decision, which led to the passage of a bill agreeing to allocate $ 10 billion to the U.S. Senate government.

But the text is still being debated in the House of Representatives and his critics call it a “bailout for the Bezos.”

One of the advantages of the Blue Moon landing system built by his company, according to Jeff Bezos, is the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel that can be extracted from lunar ice, in line with NASA’s plans to use the moon to refuel rockets. During further activity into the solar system.

He said the company would test the lander in orbit around the Earth at its own expense.

“We are ready for NASA to moderate its technical risks, address its budget constraints and place the Artemis program in a more competitive, reliable and sustainable way,” Jeff Bezos concluded.

His last-minute intervention was not sure what the award would mean.