Rocket Lab Protests NASA's $700M Mars Contract Award to Blue Origin

Rocket Lab announced it has submitted a formal protest to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding NASA's $700 million contract award for a Mars orbiter to Blue Origin. The company alleges that NASA's evaluation of Rocket Lab's technical proposal was inconsistent and that the decision did not align with congressional qualification standards.

The contract, valued at up to $700 million, was awarded to Blue Origin on September 1. The agreement requires Blue Origin to deliver a high-performance Mars communications orbiter for NASA, designed for operation by December 2028 and expected to be deployed around Mars in 2030.

Rocket Lab stated that procurement standards exist to ensure fair competition and protect public investment, and that its challenge aims to uphold these principles. The company believes NASA's review of its own technical solutions contained contradictions and inaccurate conclusions.

This contract is part of NASA's effort to update its communication relay capabilities around Mars. The agency currently relies on the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, both launched in the mid-2000s and significantly exceeding their planned service lives.