Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket into orbit, achieving a major milestone for the company and the space industry. The launch positions Blue Origin as a serious competitor to SpaceX, setting the stage for an intense rivalry in the coming years.
Ahead of what would be a defining moment for Blue Origin , Jeff Bezos confessed to feeling a wave of nervousness. 'I'm worried about everything,' the billionaire founder of Amazon shared with Ars Technica's Eric Berger on Sunday, as Blue Origin 's technicians meticulously prepared the company's colossal 32-story-tall New Glenn rocket for its inaugural journey into orbit.
'We've done a lot of work, we've done a lot of testing, but there are some things that can only be tested in flight,' Bezos admitted. Ultimately, his apprehension proved unfounded. After a series of postponements due to an issue with a vehicle subsystem, New Glenn finally thundered into orbit early Thursday morning, shattering a barrier many space companies fail to overcome even on their subsequent attempts. This launch marked a monumental milestone for Blue Origin, a company Bezos founded in 2000. It represents a significant stride toward realizing Blue Origin's ambition of utilizing reusable rockets to regularly transport satellites and NASA astronauts into the cosmos, and it cemented the rocket company's position as a formidable competitor in the burgeoning space race.One of Blue Origin's rivals watched with keen interest. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and a frequent adversary of Bezos, took to offering his congratulations to Blue Origin's founder on the successful launch. Now, the spotlight shifts to SpaceX, poised to launch its own gargantuan rocket, Starship, for the seventh time mere hours after Bezos' company achieved this first-time feat. 'This is a great achievement by Blue Origin and it shows the continued strength of private innovation in space,' stated Chad Anderson, founder of the venture capital firm Space Capital and an investor in SpaceX. Anderson told Business Insider that New Glenn would be a valuable addition to the US's launch capacity, and asserted that intensifying competition among launch providers would stimulate innovation and prevent the industry from becoming overly reliant on a single entity. However, Anderson acknowledged that while Blue Origin's accomplishment was undeniably impressive, the company still lagged behind its rival SpaceX, with Starship projected to be capable of carrying twice the payload of New Glenn. 'Starship will be a complete paradigm shift for the launch industry. It will completely change how we operate in space,' he predicted.SpaceX currently dominates the commercial space launch industry, launching more rockets into orbit last year than the rest of the world combined. In October, it captured global attention when it successfully snagged Starship's 232-foot-tall rocket booster. The company's forthcoming launch, scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Thursday but subject to possible delays, will attempt to repeat this booster catch and demonstrate Starship's ability to deploy payloads into orbit by releasing several 'dummy' Starlink satellites. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have ambitious launch schedules for 2025, suggesting this likely won't be the last time Musk and Bezos engage in a space race with their dueling rockets. SpaceX has indicated its intention to launch Starship up to 25 times in 2025, while Blue Origin plans to capitalize on New Glenn's success by launching the behemoth rocket as many as 10 times this year.Both companies hold billions-worth contracts with NASA's Artemis program, with Starship and Blue Origin's 'Blue Moon' lunar lander slated to transport astronauts to the Moon over the next decade. Blue Origin is also set to carry satellites into orbit for Amazon's Project Kuiper, the e-commerce giant's rival to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service. Amazon previously purchased launch slots for Kuiper from SpaceX. Although Blue Origin has finally entered the orbital big leagues, SpaceX might retain a crucial edge: Musk's newfound political influence. The billionaire Tesla CEO has been elevated to 'first buddy' status within the incoming administration thanks to his support of Trump's presidential campaign, and he's poised to play a pivotal role heading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has already announced that Jared Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who has flown multiple commercial missions for SpaceX and voiced support for Musk's ambitions of colonizing Mars, will be NASA's next administrator. SpaceX also received a boost from Sean Duffy, Trump's nominee for transportation secretary, who informed lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he would review penalties imposed on the company by the Federal Aviation Authority, a frequent target of Musk's ire.In contrast, Bezos has been attempting to mend his complex and, at times, antagonistic relationship with Trump. The billionaire dined at Mar-a-Lago with Trump and Musk last month and stated at The New York Times' Dealbook conference that he was 'optimistic' about Trump's second term. Prior to New Glenn's launch, Bezos assured Reuters that one thing he wasn't concerned about was the burgeoning friendship between the new president and his greatest rival. 'Elon has been very clear that he's doing this for the public interest and not for his personal gain,' Bezos said. 'And I take him at face value.
Blue Origin New Glenn Spacex Starship Space Race Jeff Bezos Elon Musk NASA Artemis Program
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