Indian-American lead engineer in Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin jumps ship to Elon Musk's Space X

Passengers of the Blue Origin enter the capsule near Van Horn, Texas, on July 20, 2021 (File image: AP)

Nitin Arora, an Indian-American working as a lead engineer in Jeff Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin, has jumped ship to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Arora announced on LinkedIn on August 16 that he has parted ways with Blue Origin and looks forward to join SpaceX, which recently won a $2.9 billion contract from NASA to take its astronauts to the moon.

Arora's exit may emerge as a setback for Blue Origin as he was working on the company's landmark project to develop a moon lander designed to carry varying payloads to the lunar surface.

"Friday (August 13th) was my last day at BLUE ORIGIN. It was one hell of a ride working on the lunar program. Really honored that I got a chance to work with and lead incredibly smart, passionate people over last three years. Special thanks to everyone who I worked with daily. I will miss you all (sic)," Arora posted on LinkedIn.

"Next stop, SpaceX ! I am incredibly excited and looking forward to it (sic)," he added.

Blue Origin and SpaceX are locked in an intense battle as the aerospace sector widens for the private players.

The Bezos-led company on August 16 filed a suit against NASA over its decision to award a massive moon exploration contract to its competitor SpaceX.

Blue Origin said its lawsuit, filed with the US Court of Federal Claims , is "an attempt to remedy the flaws" in how the contract was awarded.

"We firmly believe that the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the moon for America," the company said in a statement.