--- title: "Federal Judge Shoots Down Blue Origin’s Lawsuit Against NASA" description: "A federal judge has shot down Blue Origin's lawsuit against NASA for its decision to award SpaceX its coveted Human Landing Systems contract." date: "2021-11-04" modified: "2021-11-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/federal-judge-shoots-down-blue-origin-lawsuit-against-nasa" categories: - "Blue Origin" - "Future Society" - "Space" tags: - "blue origin" - "jeff bezos" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" --- # Federal Judge Shoots Down Blue Origin’s Lawsuit Against NASA ![A federal judge has shot down Blue Origin's lawsuit against NASA for its decision to award SpaceX its coveted Human Landing Systems contract.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A federal judge [has shot down]() Blue Origin's lawsuit against NASA for its decision to award SpaceX — rather than both SpaceX and Blue Origin — its coveted Human Landing Systems contract. It's a major hit to Blue Origin's tireless legal actions against NASA's decision to choose its competitor, and a major win for SpaceX. The Elon Musk-led company could soon get back to work toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface in a matter of just three years. In true Elon Musk fashion, the billionaire CEO [posted a screenshot]() of the 1995 movie "Judge Dredd" on Twitter with the words "you have been judged" overlaid. Here's the saga so far: NASA is contracting SpaceX to develop a lunar lander for the agency's upcoming crewed trips to the Moon, which are tentatively scheduled to begin as soon as 2024. NASA's decision to choose SpaceX as the sole winner of the HLS contract [back in April]() was met with rage by Blue Origin. The company [filed a lawsuit]() in August against NASA, which ended up turning into a [massive setback]() for SpaceX's plans to develop a lunar variant of its Starship spacecraft. That's because NASA was forced to [halt the $2.9 billion contract](), ceasing all work. Now, judge Richard Hertling denied Blue Origin's motion for judgement in US Federal Court of Claims, according to [a statement]() obtained by *New York Times* space reporter Joey Roulette. The judge has now ordered both parties, Blue Origin and NASA, to meet and discuss how to go forward. The decision didn't come as a shock. "No surprise here," space policy expert Casey Dreier [tweeted]() in response. Musk is likely having a good day in light of the decision. Bezos' litigious efforts have been a thorn in the side for Musk, leading to him openly mocking Bezos on a number of occasions. "Turns out Besos \[sic\] retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX," [Musk tweeted]() in August, following news that Bezos was [spending less time at Amazon]() to focus more on Blue Origin's day-to-day operations. In early September, Musk [went as far as to suggest]() that SpaceX should "zap \[Bezos\] on the head with our space lasers." "He should consider spending some money on actual lunar lander hardware, instead of shady lobbyists," [Musk tweeted]() at the time. Is this end of Blue Origin's efforts to contest NASA's decision? All we can do is wait and see. **READ MORE:** [Bezos’ Blue Origin loses lawsuit against NASA over SpaceX lunar lander contract]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on Blue Origin:** *[A Guy Quit Blue Origin and Sent Jeff Bezos a Memo That Tore the Company to Shreds]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()