(Photo : Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks during an Action on Forests and Land Use event on day three of COP26 at SECC on November 2, 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. 2021 sees the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. The conference will run from 31 October for two weeks, finishing on 12 November. It was meant to take place in 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin lost in the lawsuit he filed against NASA over an astronaut lunar lander contract given to Elon Musk's SpaceX months ago.
According to reports, Federal Judge Richard Hertling sided with NASA during Thursday's ruling.
NASA continues its partnership with SpaceX
Following the decision, NASA released a statement saying they will continue their partnership with SpaceX immediately. The agency added that companies would be upcoming opportunities to partner with NASA in fostering long-term human presence to the Moon under their Artemis program.
A spokesperson for Bezos' company, Blue Origin, fired back by saying that their lawsuit highlighted the safety issues with the Human Landing System procurement process that has yet to 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. Blue Origin remains deeply committed to the success of the Artemis program," a spokesperson said via CNBC.
Jeff Bezos not bitter over his loss
Bezos also tweeted about the federal court's decision and proved that he wasn't bitter. He said that he respects the decision, and he also wished NASA and SpaceX success in their partnership.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2021
Musk has not released a statement regarding the ruling, but he reposted an article about his win on Twitter. He replied to it with a photo from the 2012 movie "Dredd."
Why did Jeff Bezos file a lawsuit against NASA?
In April, NASA awarded SpaceX a contract for the agency's Human Landing System program worth $29.2 million. The contract will pave the way for the company to use its Starship rocket to send astronauts to the moon's surface concerning NASA's upcoming Artemis missions.
Before NASA made its final decision, Blue Origin and Dynetics also competed for the lucrative contract. The agency later decided only to award one company, which led Blue Origin to protest against NASA's decision.
Initially, Bezos filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office (GOA), but they denied Blue Origin's appeal in July. Bezos then escalated his complaint to the federal court.
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk feud a publicity stunt?
This is not the first time that Bezos and Musk went head to head over their companies. In fact, Musk previously trolled Bezos for allegedly quitting Amazon so that he could file lawsuits against SpaceX.
According to Business Insider, Musk previously called Bezos, a copycat over Amazon's satellite plans. He also criticized the company's business practices.
Bezos and Amazon retaliated by filing formal protests and lawsuits about issues relating to SpaceX.
But according to The Conversation, there may be no real feud between the two billionaires. After all, their plans for space domination are complementary rather than competitive.
The publication claimed that the new space race is just a publicity stunt to help generate clickbait headlines that focus on a new commercial frontier.
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