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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6360701" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="spacex">SpaceX</keyword> on Friday was awarded an exclusive $2.9 billion contract to help <keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword> return to the <keyword id="42440" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Moon">moon</keyword>.</li><li>NASA and SpaceX negotiated a contract, excluding <keyword id="199288" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Blue-Origin">Blue Origin</keyword> based on its high first bid.</li><li>"We are looking to learn more about the selection," a Blue Origin representative told Insider.</li></ul><p>Many figures in the space and <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> communities are seeking more details about how NASA chose only SpaceX for its return to the moon even though the agency's stated plans called for two commercial partners.</p><p>SpaceX had been competing against Blue Origin and <keyword id="717672" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dynetics">Dynetics</keyword> for a pair of contracts for NASA's <keyword id="244551" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Artemis">Artemis</keyword> program. But NASA on Friday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk-nasa-lunar-landing-astronauts-2021-4">announced</a> SpaceX would get an exclusive $2.9 billion contract.</p><p>Blue Origin had partnered with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper to form "The National Team."</p><p>A Blue Origin representative told Insider via email on Saturday: "The National Team doesn't have very much information yet. We are looking to learn more about the selection."</p><p>Elsewhere, celebrations were in order.</p><p>"NASA Rules!!" Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk-nasa-lunar-landing-astronauts-2021-4">said</a>. "We are honored to be part of the @NASAArtemis team."</p><p>NASA last year chose the three companies to develop a new "human-landing system." The agency has plans to return to the moon as soon as 2024 and eventually set up a permanent base there.</p><p>Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, dubbed its moon lander <a href="https://www.blueorigin.com/blue-moon/">Blue Moon</a>. Dynetics, a defense contractor, named its design the <a href="https://www.dynetics.com/newsroom/news/2021/dynetics-completes-human-landing-systems-preliminary-design-review">Dynetics Human Landing System</a>.</p><p>The winning system, SpaceX's Starship, uses the company's Raptor engines, along with designs from its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-launches-falcon-9-rocket-booster-for-record-breaking-9th-time-2021-3">Falcon 9</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-certifies-spacex-fly-astronauts-crew-dragon-spaceship-2020-11">Dragon</a> vehicles, NASA said. It'll be fully reusable, with a landing system designed "for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations."</p><p>"By taking a collaborative approach in working with industry while leveraging NASA's proven technical expertise and capabilities, we will return American astronauts to the Moon's surface once again, this time to explore new areas for longer periods of time," said Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA's HLS program manager, in a statement.</p><p>NASA had been expected to choose two of the companies. But budget concerns led to its choice of SpaceX, which restructured its proposal to meet NASA's spending expectations, according to the agency.</p><p>NASA on April 2 chose SpaceX as a "conditional selection," which allowed the agency to enter post-selection negotiations with it, according to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/option-a-source-selection-statement-final.pdf">a document</a> prepared by Kathryn Lueders, the source-selection authority.</p><p>Lueders wrote that each of the three companies' "Option A" proposals were above the agency's proposed budget for the HLS program.</p><p>"It was therefore my determination that NASA should, as a first step, open price negotiations with the Option A offeror that is both very highly rated from a technical and management perspective and that also had, by a wide margin, the lowest initially-proposed price - SpaceX," Lueders added.</p><p>Musk's company then resubmitted its proposal on April 7, according to NASA.</p><p>"Although SpaceX's revised proposal contained updated milestone payment phasing that fits within NASA's current budget, SpaceX did not propose an overall price reduction," Lueders wrote.</p><p>After the announcement, SpaceX employees and space enthusiasts flooded LinkedIn and Twitter with positive messages. Many posted rocket emojis, as might be expected.</p><p>But other space enthusiasts and budget hawks questioned NASA's decision to drop down to one commercial partner for such a monumental mission.</p><p>Casey Dreier, the chief advocate and senior space-policy advisor at The Planetary Society, said via Twitter that he was "<a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyDreier/status/1383117930640990211">honestly shocked</a>" that NASA would choose a single commercial partner. Multiple partners would boost competition, he said.</p><p>"Of course, SpaceX always acts as if it's a constant competition with itself," Dreier said. "And it's 100% delivered on its capability and price promise so far."</p><p><keyword id="11119327" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rep-robert-aderholt">Rep. Robert Aderholt</keyword> of Alabama released <a href="https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-aderholt-questions-human-lander-system-announcement">a statement</a> saying NASA's decision "raised a lot of questions."</p><p>SpaceX had previously entered into agreements with NASA and the US Air Force, with "very high" price tags, he said.</p><p>He added: "The years of delay in the development of the Falcon Heavy, as well as recent tests of the Starship program as reported in the news, also raise technical and scheduling questions."</p><p>Several of SpaceX's Starship prototypes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-to-launch-starship-prototype-sn11-watch-live-2021-3">have exploded</a> during test flights.</p><p>Dynetics didn't return a request for comment on Saturday.</p>

SpaceX's NASA contract has sparked reaction from industry figures seeking details. Blue Origin says it is 'looking to learn more about the selection.'

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Associated Press/Alex Brandon</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump waves as he leaves the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, after speaking during an event with the American Legion Boys Nation and the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation.</p></div><p></p></div></div>President Donald Trump's sudden announcement Wednesday morning that transgender people would be barred from serving in the US military may have been part of a last-ditch effort to save a House bill that partly funds a border wall, according to a <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/26/trump-transgender-military-ban-behind-the-scenes-240990">Politico report</a>.</p><p>House Republicans were reportedly at loggerheads all week over a spending bill and couldn't agree on whether to insist on a ban on Pentagon-funded gender reassignment surgeries.</p><p>The standoff threatened to tank the entire bill, which included funding for the border wall <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-border-wall-mexico-drugs-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">for which Trump campaigned and has been pressing</a>, Politico reported.</p><p>While moderate Republicans believed that a ban on funding such operations would discriminate against transgender service members, some hardline conservatives had vehemently opposed the funding, arguing that it wastes taxpayer money.</p><p>"There are several members of the conference who feel this really needs to be addressed," Rep. Robert Aderholt, a senior House Appropriations Committee member and Alabama Republican, told Politico. "This isn't about the transgender issue; it's about the taxpayer dollars going to pay for the surgery out of the <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> budget."</p><p>The Republicans who wanted a ban on funding the surgeries took the debate first to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who reportedly refused to budge on the issue before the Pentagon studies it further. Next, they turned to Trump, who blindsided lawmakers, the public, and <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/coralewis/trump-transgender-military-service?utm_term=.uuExgeaZ9#.ytPMxz8Oq">reportedly even military leaders</a> on Wednesday by tweeting out that transgender individuals would be barred from serving in the military "in any capacity."</p><p>Trump's move went far beyond the House Republicans' initial request, which was merely to block funding for gender reassignment surgery.</p><p>"This is like someone told the White House to light a candle on the table and the WH set the whole table on fire," one senior House Republican aide told Politico. The aide added that the Republicans had not expected Trump to take such sweeping action.</p><p>However, another House GOP aide told Business Insider that since the bill contains essential national security funding worth nearly $800 billion, the ban on Pentagon-funded sex reassignment surgeries would not have tanked it in the first place.</p><p><span>The federal government's plans for transgender service members and recruits have already been up in the air for some time. In June, Mattis </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/military-transgender-enlistment-recruits-2017-6">delayed</a><span> an Obama administration plan to begin allowing openly transgender recruits into the military by six months.</span></p><p><span>And House Republicans had already sparred over the issue several weeks ago when Rep. Vicki Hartzler first proposed the amendment banning funding for medical treatment for transgender service members. To the surprise of many GOP lawmakers, 24 moderate Republicans joined 190 Democrats in voting down the amendment.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lyudmila-ocheretnaya-putin-wife-hated-being-russia-first-lady-2017-7">The mysterious life of Vladimir Putin's ex-wife, who hated being Russia's first lady</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NzM3d4YjE6XnescG5XIjEVYSmp4N0HZI" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Trump may have announced the transgender military ban to save a bill funding the border wall

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Republican lawmakers are telling&#xa0;President Trump&#xa0;to lay&#xa0;off of Jeff Sessions amid Trump's repeated criticism of his own attorney general.<p>Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were among those voices rallying around Sessions, who&#xa0;Trump has needled&#xa0;over the last few days, publicly criticizing his decision in March&#xa0;to recuse himself from Russia-related investigative matters concerning the Trump campaign.</p><p><span>Cruz told ABC News in a <a href="https://twitter.com/MKhan47/status/889843628356640768">statement</a> that the attorney general was "a friend and a strong conservative." He added he was proud to vote to confirm Sessions, and was "deeply gratified" that "a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as Attorney General."&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>Sen. Luther Strange, who took Sessions' Senate seat after Sessions left to join the Trump administration,&#xa0;<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorStrange/status/889937362368811009">released a statement</a>&#xa0;calling Sesssions a "mentor, a great friend, and a man of the utmost integrity." </span></p><p><span>He credited Sessions' leadership for inspiring him to run for office, adding Sessions "continues to merit the admiration of his team at the DOJ, his former colleagues in the Senate, and the people of [Alabama]."</span></p><p><span>The senators also appeared to accuse the news media of blowing Trump's taunts out of proportion. Cruz called stories around Sessions "false," while Strange said "we need to stop letting the media distract us" from Trump's agenda.</span></p><p><span>Neither directly called out the Trump&#xa0;for his attacks&#xa0;on Sessions.</span></p><p><span>Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama tweeted <a href="https://twitter.com/SenShelby/status/889855456616861696">praise</a> for Jeff Sessions' character and said he&#xa0;has&#xa0;"deep respect" and "unwavering support" for Sessions. Shelby <a href="https://twitter.com/SenShelby/status/889899527896956928">told Fox News</a> he d</span><span>oesn't agree with the claim that Sessions isn't doing a good job, saying he hoped Jeff Sessions will stay.</span></p><p><span>He added Sessions has been "loyal to the president to a fault," and added Sessions is attorney general of the US, "not the president's personal lawyer." Shelby said during the interview that it "wouldn't be well-recieved" in DC if Trump fired Sessions.</span></p><p><span>Reps. Bradley Byrne and Martha Roby, representatives of the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts of Alabama,&#xa0;<a href="https://twitter.com/RepByrne/status/889897093917290496">said</a>&#xa0; "No one is better suited to run the Department of Justice than Jeff Sessions, and&#xa0;praised Sessions</span><span>&#xa0;as "a man of great character and sound judgment.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMoBrooks">tweeted</a> that Sessions was "keeping us safe by faithfully enforcing our laws&#xa0;and supporting our brave law enforcement officers." </span></p><p><span>Alabama 4th Congressional District Rep. Robert Aderholt also <a href="https://twitter.com/Robert_Aderholt/status/889941061988175872">tweeted</a> about Sessions, offering his support and saying the attorney general&#xa0;was doing a "good job."</span></p><p><span>Sessions received support from lawmakers outside of Alabama as well.</span></p><p><span>Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/889859793732632577">tweeted</a> a statement calling Sessions "one of the most decent people I've ever met in my political life," and a "rock solid conservative who "believes in the rule of law" above all else. Graham also called Trump's railings against&#xa0;Sessions "highly inappropriate."</span></p><p><span>Sen. Thom Tillis, the junior senator from North Carolina, asserted&#xa0;that the attorney general's "leadership is needed now more than ever."</span></p><p><span>Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn called&#xa0;Sessions "a good and honorable man," in a CNN interview and&#xa0;said Sessions "did the right thing" recusing himself.</span></p><p><span>Ohio junior Sen. Rob Portman called Sessions "a man of deep conviction and principle who believes in the rule of law."</span></p><p>At an unrelated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called Sessions "a man of integrity."</p><p>Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said&#xa0;Sessions is "a credit to the Department of Justice," adding that he fully supports the attorney general.</p><p>Trump during a press conference with Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday said he was "disappointed" in Sessions and left open Sessions' ultimate fate: "Time will tell," Trump said.</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-defended-trump-jr-russia-lawyer-meeting-show-and-tell-cards-hannity-2017-7">Kellyanne Conway defended Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer using show-and-tell cards - and the internet went nuts</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Y5YWR3YjE6vKcDWg0wJFHSbxZIsoAQ46" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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