Four contractors have applied to participate in the competition: Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Axiom Space have expressed a desire to compete for the $500 million grant. But, according to Ars Technica’s sources, Northrop Grumman has withdrawn its application, and Blue Origin’s status is shaky. The leak occurred during this week’s International Astronautical Congress.
Northrop Grumman wanted to base the future orbital station on the Cygnus spacecraft. According to new information, Northrop will build the station, but not for NASA. The company intends to participate in a commercial project with Airbus and Voyager Space.
As for Blue Origin, it has not yet officially announced its refusal. However, new information indicates that everything is headed for this. According to the source, Jeff Bezos is more interested in creating lunar infrastructure and a lunar ship than in building the Orbital Reef station. Now the company’s cooperation with Sierra Space is in question.
The decisions of Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin will not affect NASA’s plans to create a new station in Earth’s orbit. Nanoracks and Axiom Space remain in the game. It is also possible that other companies will join the project. For example, SpaceX and Vast Space.