Rocket Lab protests NASA's decision to award Blue Origin $700 million Mars orbiter contract
12-09-2026 00:06 via space.com

Rocket Lab protests NASA's decision to award Blue Origin $700 million Mars orbiter contract

Rocket Lab still holds out hope that it can build NASA's next Mars orbiter.The agency picked Blue Origin for that job earlier this month, awarding Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company $700 million to develop, launch and operate the Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN).Today (Sept. 11), however, Rocket Lab announced that it has challenged that decision, filing a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO).Rocket Lab has filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Offi
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