Rocket Lab protests NASA Blue Origin Mars award

Rocket Lab said on September 11, 2026 it filed a Government Accountability Office protest of NASA's roughly $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network award to Blue Origin. The company argued the decision looks inconsistent with eligibility rules set by Congress and that NASA's review of Rocket Lab's technical volume made incorrect assertions. NASA selected Blue Origin on September 1 to deliver a Blue Ring-based Mars orbiter by December 31, 2028, with operations targeted for 2030.