NASA said on Sept. 29 that it had suspended performance of Blue Origin’s Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN) contract while the Government Accountability Office (GAO) considered Rocket Lab’s protest. Rocket Lab’s challenge puts the project’s schedule targets in focus: Blue Origin said it still aimed to launch the orbiter by Dec. 31, 2028.
NASA suspends performance during Rocket Lab’s protest
NASA linked the contract suspension to Rocket Lab’s ongoing protest. Rocket Lab announced on Sept. 11, 2026, that it was filing a formal challenge with the GAO over NASA’s award to Blue Origin.
The dispute concerns NASA’s selection of Blue Origin for the MTN contract. Rocket Lab alleges that the award conflicted with congressional eligibility criteria and that NASA’s review of its technical proposal was punitive and inaccurate.
What the Mars Telecommunications Network contract covers
The fixed-price contract covers designing, developing, integrating, launching and operating the Mars communications network. Its reported potential maximum value is about $700 million.
The program includes a communications orbiter intended to support a relay network at Mars. The contract’s scope encompasses both the ground and flight systems needed for the network.
The orbiter’s schedule targets
NASA’s stated deadline for delivery of the completed ground and flight systems is Dec. 31, 2028. Blue Origin separately said it aimed to launch the orbiter by that date. NASA expects the orbiter to be operating at Mars by 2030 and said it may reassess timelines after the protest’s adjudication.
