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NASA suspends SpaceX’s $2.9 billion moon lander contract after rivals protest
The Verge (Crox, er, Vox Media) ^ | April 30, 2021 | Joey Roulette (Russia Russia Russia!)

Posted on 05/02/2021 1:15:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

NASA has suspended work on SpaceX’s new $2.9 billion lunar lander contract while a federal watchdog agency adjudicates two protests over the award, the agency said Friday... Elon Musk's SpaceX was picked by NASA on April 16th to build the agency's first human lunar lander since the Apollo program, as the agency opted to rely on just one company for a high-profile contract that many in the space industry expected to go to two companies... SpaceX’s private Starship development will likely continue.

A digital illustration of SpaceX's Starship lunar lander sitting on the Moon's surface, as proposed to NASA under its Artemis program. Image: SpaceX

Image: SpaceX

(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: artemis; astronomy; berniesanders; blueorigin; districtofcolumbia; dynetics; elonmusk; hls; jeffbezos; joeyroulette; mariacantwell; nasa; science; spacex; taketheredpill; theverge; vermont; vox; washington; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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SpaceX will continue to develop, and after the "final" decision is made by the Demagogic Party corrupted bureaucracy and judiciary, SpaceX and its private spacecraft will be returning from the Moon. Want some more rocks?

1 posted on 05/02/2021 1:15:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Blue Origin has yet to put a human aboard their hopper, has orbited nothing, and on its supposed lunar bid, has spent twice what NASA plans to pay SpaceX.

2 posted on 05/02/2021 1:18:04 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Yes B.O. only does one time a year suborbital flights and has not flown humans, yet bezos has to pitch a fit


3 posted on 05/02/2021 1:26:44 PM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: markman46
After the contract was awarded, Musk said that Bezos needed to take a more active role in Blue Origin, and "frankly, I hope he does".

4 posted on 05/02/2021 1:33:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Looks like it's going to be a "LONG MARCH" to the next U.S. manned moon landing.

Runar Rander, Made in China?

5 posted on 05/02/2021 1:36:08 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing (Get off my back for my usage of CAPS, especially you snowflake males! MAN UP!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Sure go with the rivals Landers that are still on the drawing board


6 posted on 05/02/2021 1:37:02 PM PDT by butlerweave
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To: SunkenCiv

I am glad they read my proposal.


7 posted on 05/02/2021 1:37:11 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (No matter what, resist and stop the agenda of blow bidet and hairass the whore)
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To: SunkenCiv

Everyone knows why this is happening. SpaceX is being sabotaged. SpaceCCP is ultimately going to get the contract. You think I’m kidding?


8 posted on 05/02/2021 1:37:59 PM PDT by Richard Axtell ( NO*)
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To: SunkenCiv

This is pretty much S.O.P. In a government contract of this size, the losers are almost automatically going to contest the award and the gubmint is going to put everything on hold until a review is complete and the award is either affirmed or reversed.

On an aside, I have to say I’m generally pretty impressed with Musk. Yes, he’s played the government contract and subsidy game to the hilt, but I do think the government is at least getting good value for its dollar with him. Plus he has a big vision and is pushing to make it happen. I don’t know if he’ll ever land someone on Mars, but if anyone can do it, he probably can.


9 posted on 05/02/2021 1:39:25 PM PDT by doragsda
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To: SunkenCiv

Musk is crowbarring his people onto the ISS while Bezos is bitching about “fairness” from the eyepiece end of an earthbound telescope. What is there even to argue about?


10 posted on 05/02/2021 1:40:16 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Richard Axtell

CCP doesn’t even have a reusable platform, they’re gonna waste so much money on space only to be eclipsed by a company that can reuse a 100t to orbit platform.


11 posted on 05/02/2021 1:44:46 PM PDT by Bayard
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To: CivilWarBrewing; Richard Axtell

The Spacexcentric had something related:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL3hDkL4zFc&t=156


12 posted on 05/02/2021 1:45:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: doragsda
It's not a great idea to bet against him, that's for sure. :^) My guess is, SpaceX will put someTHING on the Martian surface by 2030, and I'd NOT be surprised if it happens in 2022. They'll want to test landing systems, and until they do, they'll never get man-rating on that Starship [sic] they've been systematically destroying with every test the past year or so. :^) In nine years? They'll have been going to the Moon for four or five years, and it also won't surprise me if they put the first humans on Mars in 2030. And no one else will be able to do that for a long time. In another tab, I'm streaming a vid of Jeremy Clarkson enjoying the Model X.

13 posted on 05/02/2021 1:53:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Richard Axtell

Musk doesnt always stay in lock step with the PTB.

This is them putting some leverage on him.

They dont know him that well.


14 posted on 05/02/2021 1:53:58 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Richard Axtell

“Everyone knows why this is happening. SpaceX is being sabotaged. SpaceCCP is ultimately going to get the contract. You think I’m kidding?”
****************************************
Hey! 10% for the Big Guy.


15 posted on 05/02/2021 1:55:02 PM PDT by House Atreides
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To: SunkenCiv

Contrast:

SpaceX just brought people back from the space station, and will shortly test-fly (successfully?) their lunar shuttle prototype.

NASA bureaucrats just halted the lunar project days after funding it.

Which values progress?

The Biden administration basically just guaranteed Musk will start a lunar colony independent of government - out of spite.


16 posted on 05/02/2021 1:55:44 PM PDT by ctdonath2 (The claim of consensus is the first refuge of scoundrels.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Apparently, Bezos whined and cried hard enough to attract some of his supports in the program.......


17 posted on 05/02/2021 1:55:54 PM PDT by cranked
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To: SunkenCiv

I dunno. That artist’s conception of the SpaceX lander... that’s a long climb down/up to the living quarters (which I assume is atop that stack).


18 posted on 05/02/2021 1:59:23 PM PDT by Tallguy
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To: SunkenCiv

Minority bidder?


19 posted on 05/02/2021 2:00:11 PM PDT by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Musk must pay a bribe to the biden corrupt administration or else.

Vice President Kamala Harris confirms role as new chair of National Space Council, saying she is ‘honored’ to take up the role
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3955693/posts


20 posted on 05/02/2021 2:03:00 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (I need more money. )
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