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SpaceX’s NASA Starship contract safe for now as Blue Origin looks to Congress
Fresh off of a major contract loss during a competition to build NASA’s next crewed Moon lander, Blue Origin has begun aggressively lobbying Congress for the contract NASA didn’t give it.
Thankfully, albeit not at first, a modification has been made to an amendment first proposed by a Senator that has long pursued favorable treatment of Blue Origin that will prevent that legislation – if it passes – from unfairly interrupting the $2.9 billion contract NASA already awarded SpaceX. Announced on April 16th, that award came as a shock, effectively cementing SpaceX’s lunar Starship as both the cheapest and most technically sound proposal to return humanity to the Moon.
As such, although NASA made it clear that it would have selected two of the three competing proposals in a perfect scenario, Congress allocated just a quarter of the Human Landing System (HLS) funding NASA requested, forcing the agency between a rock and a hard place.
NASA repeatedly stated as much both before and after the decision was announced, effectively implying that the agency had learned its lesson with the Commercial Crew Program, in which it had selected two redundant providers – Boeing and SpaceX – only for Congress to systematically underfund the program for years. As a direct result of years of underfunding during an early and formative period, both providers suffered at least 2-3 years of delays, followed by another few years of more organic delays as development matured and new challenges were unsurprisingly uncovered.
Politically, NASA could never say that – effectively biting the hand that (under)feeds – out loud, but it was strongly implied in an official HLS source selection statement released to partially explain why it had chosen SpaceX and SpaceX alone. Almost instantly, both losing competitors – Blue Origin and Dynetics – filed protests with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) filled with far more bizarre, rambling tangents than coherent legal arguments.
Unless GAO operates on a different standard than the court of law or uncovers something nefarious behind closed doors, a close reading of both partially redacted protests does not bode well for either document’s ability to sway the office’s opinion. Almost as if Blue Origin itself is aware of just how frivolous its protest really is, the company – seemingly backed by partners Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Leidos – wasted no time lobbying Senator Maria Cantwell for an alternate avenue to get what it wants and the government money founder Jeff Bezos feels entitled to.
Cantwell represents Washington State, where both Amazon and Blue Origin are headquartered, and has frequently spoken out in support of – or personally introduced – legislation that would specifically favor Bezos’ space company. On May 12th, Cantwell introduced an amendment that would purportedly “maintain competitiveness” by forcing NASA to select a second HLS winner in addition to SpaceX. Without irony, the authorization bill also demanded that NASA make that decision within a mere 30 days.
Under those conditions, Congress would authorize $10 billion for NASA to develop and demonstrate two landers with an uncrewed and crewed Moon landing each – the original plan. Insultingly, Cantwell tacked that amendment onto an authorization bill, meaning that even if Congress were to pass the bill and the President were to sign it into law, Congress would still have to actually allocate that $10 billion in the form of a more than 10% boost to NASA’s annual budget. Historically, even if Congress were to defy all recent precedent and significantly boost NASA’s 2022 budget, there is no guarantee that that raise would be upheld for four or more years, which it would need to be for the authorization bill to be anything more than a hollow promise.
More recently, a clause was thankfully added clarifying that NASA is not allowed to “modify, terminate, or rescind” SpaceX’s HLS contract to comply with the amendment. Additionally, while still amounting to a legal gun to NASA’s head to force it to into a contract it knows it cant afford, the modification gives NASA 60 days to award a second lander contract. Based on the agency’s own selection statement, Blue Origin’s National Team would almost certainly be the recipient in the event that the bill becomes law, forcing NASA to commit more than $9 billion – instead of $2.9 billion – to the next stage of HLS development with no guarantee that its budget will be raised accordingly.
In the meantime, GAO still has to complete its reviews of Blue Origin and Dynetic’s protests and the White House has to submit its FY2022 budget request and consider adding NASA funding to its proposed jobs and infrastructure package.
News
Tesla’s Shanghai sites now producing massive solar output, confirms exec
Gigafactory Shanghai’s rooftop solar installation now generates an impressive amount of clean energy, and other sites are following suit.
Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao recently shared new details on the company’s solar initiatives in some of its facilities across Shanghai.
In a post on Weibo, the Tesla executive stated that Gigafactory Shanghai’s rooftop solar installation now generates an impressive amount of clean energy, and other sites are following suit.
Tesla China’s rooftop solar initiatives
As per Tao’s post, Giga Shanghai’s rooftop solar system produces about 11 million kWh of electricity per year. This helps reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 4,600 tons annually.
The Shanghai Megafactory, which produces Megapack batteries, is also being fitted with solar panels. Once operational, it is expected to generate an additional 6 million kWh per year and further lower carbon emissions by roughly 2,500 tons.
“At present, the roof of the Shanghai Super Factory is covered with photovoltaic panels, which can generate 11 million kWh of electricity annually and reduce carbon emissions by 4,600 tons. The Shanghai Energy Storage Super Factory next door is also installing photovoltaic panels, which is expected to generate an additional 6 million kWh a year and reduce carbon emissions by 2,500 tons,” Tao wrote in her post.
Tesla expands solar and storage efforts
Beyond its manufacturing hubs, Tesla is extending its renewable energy strategy to service centers and retail operations in China. Tao stated that the roof of Tesla’s Shanghai Kangqiao Direct Body and Paint Center already produces around 400,000 kWh of green electricity each year, reducing emissions by yet another 170 tons.
She highlighted that Tesla’s goal is to ensure clean electricity powers the full lifecycle of its products, from manufacturing and storage to on-road charging. “The manufacture, storage, and use of clean electricity runs through the entire chain of Tesla products, and is also the contribution of every Tesla owner to a sustainable tomorrow for the earth,” Tao stated.
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Donald Trump confirms ‘good’ relationship with Elon Musk after public feud
Trump stated that he and Elon Musk have spoken “on and off, a little bit” since meeting at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in September.
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that his relationship with Elon Musk has improved following months of tension.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that he and Elon Musk have spoken “on and off, a little bit” since meeting at slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in September. Trump also noted that he now considers their relationship “good.”
Trump stated that his feud with Musk has cooled after ‘stupid moment’
Trump addressed the pair’s earlier feud, which unfolded publicly earlier this year after Musk publicly opposed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and later stepped away from his administration’s advisory role tied to the DOGE initiative. The U.S. president addressed the dispute, describing it as a brief lapse in judgment, as noted in an Insider report.
“He had a bad spell, he had a bad period. He had a bad moment,” Trump said. “It was a stupid moment in his life, very stupid. I’m sure he’d tell you that. But I like Elon, and I suspect I always will.”
Trump’s remarks suggest a thaw in what had been one of the United States’ most visible political rifts, which saw Musk accusing Trump of being on Epstein’s list and Trump threatening to take away Tesla and SpaceX’s subsidies. In his recent comments, however, Trump noted that “I like Elon, I’ve always liked him.”
Musk has mostly stayed quiet on Trump, but he still criticizes administration officials
Musk has publicly toned down his criticism of Trump in recent months, pausing discussion of a third political party he once floated after Trump’s megabill passed. While his stance toward the former president appears to have softened, with the two men publicly making peace during Kirk’s memorial, Musk has continued to spar with members of Trump’s administration.
Just last week, he engaged in a dispute with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over NASA leadership after Duffy opened one of SpaceX’s contracts for review. Musk expressed his frustration against Duffy on X, stating that “Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA” and pledging that SpaceX would be taking humans back to the Moon with Starship before any other company.
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IF Metall chair to Elon Musk: “Give us a chance” as Tesla Sweden strike hits 2 years
The official emphasized that Swedish unions function under a cooperative framework that benefits both employers and workers.
IF Metall’s strike against Tesla Sweden has entered its third year, with union chair Marie Nilsson urging Elon Musk to reconsider his perception of organized labor.
Speaking ahead of the strike’s second anniversary, Nilsson stated that Tesla should understand that Swedish unions operate differently from their American counterparts, and they deserve the opportunity to prove it.
IF Metall leader urges Tesla to understand Sweden’s system
In an interview with Dagens Arbete (DA), Nilsson stated that Tesla’s skepticism toward labor unions likely stems from the company’s experience in the United States, where labor organizations have historically taken a more combative approach. She emphasized that Swedish unions function under a cooperative framework that benefits both employers and workers.
“I can certainly understand that Elon Musk and Tesla are skeptical of the trade union movement. They have experience with American unions that operate in a completely different environment and that have to be militant in a different way.
“I would say: Don’t compare Swedish unions with American ones. Let’s give us a chance. Signing a collective agreement in Sweden also does not mean that you are committed to collective agreements in the rest of the world, but it is the practical system we have here to regulate the conditions,” Nilsson stated.
Nilsson rejected the idea that Tesla Sweden is being unfairly targeted
The IF Metall leader also reflected on the conflict’s duration, calling it unprecedented in Swedish labor history. While she admitted the union should have organized Tesla workers earlier, she maintained that the movement remains determined. “No one can possibly imagine what it is like not to go to work for two years,” Nilsson said, praising members who have continued to maintain their protest against the EV maker.
Nilsson also rejected any notion that the union is targeting Tesla unfairly. “Tesla is not a poor little company that we are trying to crush in any way,” she said. “But this is a global player, and we cannot accept that they should have different conditions in Sweden than other entrepreneurs have.”
She confirmed that IF Metall is now prepared to take greater risks, especially after the Swedish Mediation Institute stepped back from talks. “It is impossible for us to do anything else. This is a large and important player, and therefore we need to take this conflict. It is impossible for us to do anything else,” Nilsson said.
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