New NASA administrator, citing China missions, calls for sustained support in Congress By William Harwood
May 19, 2021 / 7:48 PM / CBS News
Holding up a photo taken by China s new Mars lander, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned Congress on Wednesday that his agency faces increasingly stiff competition on the high frontier and that sustained funding for a new moon lander, infrastructure upgrades and other critical programs is vital for America s space program.
In his first congressional appearance since being confirmed by the Senate, Nelson, a former lawmaker who flew aboard a space shuttle in 1986, told a House appropriations subcommittee that China plans to send multiple landers to the south pole of the moon in the not-too-distant future, the same area NASA is targeting in its Artemis program.
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STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson holds up a picture of China’s Zhurong Mars rover during a virtual hearing with a House of Representatives subcommittee Wednesday. Credit: NASA/U.S. House of Representatives
Holding up a photo taken by China’s new Mars lander, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned Congress Wednesday that his agency faces increasingly stiff competition on the high frontier and that sustained funding for a new moon lander, infrastructure upgrades and other critical programs is vital for America’s space program.
Jeff Bezos Blue Origin challenges NASA contract awarded to SpaceX for Artemis moon lander By William Harwood NASA s search for a 21st-century lunar lander
Blue Origin announced Monday that it is protesting NASA s decision earlier this month to award a single $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX for development of a new lunar lander for the agency s Artemis moon program, rejecting competing proposals from Blue Origin and Dynetics. NASA has executed a flawed acquisition for the Human Landing System program and moved the goalposts at the last minute, Blue Origin, owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, said in a statement. In NASA s own words, it has made a high risk selection, the statement continued. Their decision eliminates opportunities for competition, significantly narrows the supply base and not only delays, but also endangers America s return to the moon. Because of that, we ve filed a protest with the GAO (Government Accountability Office).
Jeff Bezos Blue Origin protests SpaceX moon lander contract yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.