NASA halts work on lunar lander by SpaceX after Blue Origin files suit

Billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos`s Blue Origin sued the US government on the 'flawed acquisition process found in NASA`s Human Landing System' following which the US space agency halted work on a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract awarded to Elon Musk`s SpaceX.

WASHINGTON: NASA agreed on Thursday to temporarily halt work on a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract awarded to Elon Musk`s SpaceX after rival billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos`s Blue Origin sued the U.S government, an agency spokeswoman said. Blue Origin has said its lawsuit, filed in the US Court of Federal Claims last week, was "an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA`s Human Landing System." A US judge has set an Oct. 14 hearing on the case. NASA said in a statement it paused work with SpaceX on the human landing system through Nov. 1.