--- title: "Blue Origin Lawsuit Could Be Massive Setback to Starship Development" description: "A judge has awarded Blue Origin a \"stay\" after the Jeff Bezos-led space company sued NASA over losing the HLS contract to SpaceX." date: "2021-08-19" modified: "2021-08-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/blue-origin-lawsuit-could-be-massive-setback-to-starship-development" categories: - "Blue Origin" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "moon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Blue Origin Lawsuit Could Be Massive Setback to Starship Development ![A judge has awarded Blue Origin a "stay" after the Jeff Bezos-led space company sued NASA over losing the HLS contract to SpaceX.]() *\Image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images\* ## More Delays Blue Origin has won a "stay" after the Jeff Bezos-led space company sued NASA over losing the agency's Human Landing Systems (HLS) contract to competitor SpaceX, according to [recent tweets]() *Washington Post* space reporter Christian Davenport — a decision that could result in months of delays. That means SpaceX and NASA's work on its lunar lander Starship variant is yet again being put on hold by Blue Origin's actions, a frustrating state of affairs that is bound to have negative repercussions on the space company's already tarnished reputation. If the [recent departures]() by top Blue Origin engineers are anything to go by, the consequences are already being felt. ## Protests and Denials It's been a messy feud ever since NASA [chose just SpaceX]() as the sole winner of the $2.9 billion HLS contract in April. NASA told SpaceX in May to [cease all work]() on their lunar lander contract after Blue Origin and fellow HLS competitor Dynetics [both filed protests]() to NASA's decision. The US Government Accountability Office [denied]() both companies' protests late last month, meaning that NASA would go forward with just SpaceX to develop a lunar lander after all. The "voluntary stay of performance," awarded by the judge this week overseeing Blue Origin's suit filed with the US Court of Federal Claims, expires on November 1, according to Davenport's sources. That means that at most, NASA's work with SpaceX on the HLS contract could be delayed by several months. It's yet another unfortunate setback for SpaceX's ambitious plans to send NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon using its massive Starship spacecraft. The ongoing legal battle could make it even more difficult to meet the already highly ambitious deadline of 2024. **More on HLS:** *[Blue Origin Lead Lunar Lander Engineer Jumps Ship, Joins SpaceX]()* ## 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]()