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

Rocket Lab has lodged a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office in an attempt to overturn NASA's decision to award a $700 million Mars orbiter contract to Blue Origin. NASA selected the private spaceflight company earlier this month for the development, launch, and operation of the Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN).

Rocket Lab contends that the agency's decision contradicts the eligibility criteria set forth by Congress. Furthermore, Rocket Lab claims that NASA's review of its technical proposal was inconsistent, making erroneous assertions and conclusions. The procurement standards, Rocket Lab asserts, exist to ensure fair competition and safeguard public investment.

The California-based company intends to pursue this review to uphold those standards for critical infrastructure that will support American exploration at Mars for decades. The Mars Telecommunications Network will serve as a communications link between mission controllers on Earth and other NASA spacecraft studying Mars. Currently, there are only two agency orbiters that fulfill this relay role, both of which are aging: Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005.

NASA had been seeking a new Mars telecom orbiter for years and funded one in July 2025. The award requires Blue Origin to deliver the MTN to NASA by December 31, 2028, with operation expected at the Red Planet by 2030. This contract follows a similar situation last year when Blue Origin challenged NASA's selection of SpaceX to provide the first crewed moon lander for the Artemis program.

Blue Origin lost that protest and lawsuit in July and November 2021, respectively. However, NASA ultimately awarded Blue Origin a second Artemis lander contract in 2023. The outcome for Rocket Lab remains uncertain at this point.