spacetoday.net: PlanetSpace files protest of ISS commercial resupply contract

Posted: Sat, Jan 17, 2009, 11:43 AM ET (1643 GMT)
PlanetSpace ISS resupply concept illus. (PlanetSpace)

PlanetSpace, the one bidder of three that failed to win a NASA contract last month to transport cargo to the International Space Station, filed a protest of the award on Thursday. PlanetSpace lost out to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation, who each received contracts valued in excess of $1 billion to transport cargo to the station after the space shuttle is retired. In a statement, PlanetSpace said that its proposal received a higher "Mission Suitability" score and had a lower cost than one of the proposals selected by the government, a reference to the Orbital contract. NASA source selection documents obtained by the media after the contract award indicated that NASA officials had more confidence in Orbital's ability to manage such a contract than PlanetSpace, a small company that is relying primarily on major aerospace companies ATK, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. The protest will be adjudicated by the GAO, with a decision to be made by April.