Court OK’s NASA Contract for Space Station Services

(CN) - PlanetSpace lost its bid to stop NASA from awarding contracts to competitors for resupply services for the International Space Station. The Federal Claims Court backed NASA's decision to override a mandatory stay on the contracts, which NASA deemed necessary due to "urgent and compelling circumstances that significantly affect interests of the United States."

NASA awarded the contracts to Orbital Sciences Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., prompting PlanetSpace to lodge a protest with the Government Accountability Office.

The protest triggered an automatic stay, which NASA was able to override by issuing a memo justifying its need to move forward with the contracts.

The claims court rejected PlanetSpace's request to reinstate the stay.

"Plaintiff could not show that NASA acted arbitrarily or capriciously," Judge Hodges wrote, "or that it failed to act in good faith, in the best interests of the United States, or for urgent and compelling reasons in making its decision to override the stay."

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