Elon Musk isn\u2019t fond of Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin, and he just made that patently clear. CNET reports that Musk told Code conference attendees Bezos should put more effort into \u201cgetting into orbit than lawsuits,\u201d and that you couldn\u2019t \u201csue your way to the Moon\u201d as Blue Origin allegedly tried when it lost its lunar lander bid. He was also less-than-flattering to Virgin Galactic, describing its first passenger flight and Blue Origin\u2019s as \u201ca step in the direction of orbit\u201d that fell short of SpaceX\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
While Musk is known for being harsh, he might have some support in this case. The Verge has obtained NASA legal documents showing that the space agency felt Blue Origin \u201cgambled\u201d with its originally proposed $5.9 billion lunar lander price. Bezos\u2019 company allegedly set the price far higher than necessary as it expected NASA to award the contract and negotiate for a lower cost. Blue Origin also reportedly assumed NASA would get the full funding from Congress needed for that initial price, even as the Senate made clear NASA wouldn\u2019t get the necessary amount.<\/p>\n
You know what happened next. Rather than haggle the price, NASA picked the $2.9 billion SpaceX bid. Blue Origin challenged the award and even made a last-ditch $2 billion offer, but by then it was too late. The Government Accountability Office rejected Blue Origin\u2019s claims, saying NASA didn\u2019t violate regulations in picking SpaceX. Bezos\u2019 outfit took NASA to court roughly two weeks later.<\/p>\n