Rocket Lab calls foul on Blue Origin's $700M Mars comms contract

Blue Origin is incensed after Rocket Lab lodged a formal protest against NASA's selection of the company's Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) for a potential contract worth up to $700 million. NASA announced the award in early September following a request for proposals in May, with the contract requiring Blue Origin to design, develop, integrate, launch, and operate the MTO.

The MTO will function as a communications relay for missions to Mars. Rocket Lab submitted a formal protest to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), claiming NASA's decision was inconsistent with eligibility criteria mandated by Congress and that the agency's review of Rocket Lab's technical proposal was flawed. This incident is not the first time Rocket Lab has challenged NASA's decision-making.

In 2025, the company contested NASA's rejection of its Mars Sample Return proposal, which included a Martian communications orbiter. Blue Origin's CEO, Jeff Bezos, has previously filed protests with the GAO and threatened legal action after NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to develop the next lunar lander in 2021. Blue Origin's MTO design is based on its Blue Ring spacecraft, which features hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion with 13 ports for mounting payloads.

Blue Origin asserts it can produce four vehicles per year, potentially increasing production if needed. Blue Origin's president, Tory Bruno, stated that the contract award validates the company's commitment to the Blue Ring spacecraft, which has been designed with this specific mission in mind.