A mock-up previously provided by Blue Origin to NASA of a crewed lander on the moon’s surface.
Photo: Cover Images/Zuma Press
Jeff Bezos offered to waive $2 billion in fees over the next two years to win his space company, Blue Origin LLC, a joint contract for the NASA lunar-lander program that was awarded solely to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The billionaire founder of Amazon.com Inc. said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should return to an original plan to dual source its Artemis program that aims to return U.S. astronauts to the moon’s surface this decade. The agency awarded SpaceX the contract after opting to go with a single supplier due to budget constraints.
In an open letter Monday to Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, Mr. Bezos said his fee-waiving offer would remove those constraints.
“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,” Mr. Bezos said.
He added that Blue Origin would be able to achieve a human moon landing in 2024.
Mr. Bezos’s appeal came a week after he traveled into space, as Blue Origin, into which he has poured billions, strives to open space travel to high-net-worth individuals.
“Blue Origin is committed to building a future where millions of people live and work in space to benefit the Earth,” Mr. Bezos said. “We are convinced that, to advance America’s future in space, NASA must now quickly and assuredly return to the Moon.”
SpaceX won the $2.9 billion Artemis contract in April, beating out bids by both Blue Origin and a unit of Virginia-based Leidos Holdings Inc., which provides scientific and technological services. The arrangement expanded SpaceX’s relationship with NASA, which is already contracting its Falcon 9 rockets to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station.
Write to Benjamin Katz at [email protected]
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