Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin stunned the space industry this week, launching a brand-new rocket taller than the Statue of Liberty into orbit on its first try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thursday\u2019s landmark New Glenn launch came after\u00a0years of setbacks and delays\u00a0and unfavorable comparisons to Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX, which\u00a0leapfrogged\u00a0Blue Origin and others over the past quarter century to become the world\u2019s\u00a0most prolific\u00a0rocket launcher.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It marked another step toward a future in which America\u2019s ability to reach orbit lies with private companies and the billionaires driving them, instead of the US government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Glenn\u2019s debut came hours before the seventh test flight of SpaceX\u2019s Starship, an even bigger and more powerful rocket,\u00a0exploded\u00a0just minutes after takeoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Amazon.com Inc. founder Bezos and Blue Origin, the initial euphoria of a successful launch is likely to give way to a more sober recognition of the challenges that still lie ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New rockets often take months to repeat initial success. It takes launchers time to perfect their manufacturing, integration, and testing at a scale that is repeatable and quick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s assuming there are no major failures on the launch pad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite expected growing pains, Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp has charted an ambitious course, aiming to launch six to eight New Glenn flights this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring,\u201d Limp said after Thursday\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such an undertaking would buck precedent set by other new rockets the world over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has taken six months and counting for Europe\u2019s\u00a0Ariane 6 rocket<\/a>\u00a0to fly for a second time after\u00a0it reached orbit\u00a0last July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n United Launch Alliance went eight months between its\u00a0first\u00a0and\u00a0second\u00a0flights of its new Vulcan rocket \u2014 and later missions planned for 2024 slipped into this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even SpaceX took six months<\/a> between the Falcon 9\u2019s 2010 debut and its second flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And unlike the move-fast-and-break-things ethos of many Silicon Valley tech startups, Blue Origin\u2019s culture has been more risk-averse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a higher level of angst to fail in Blue Origin\u2019s company culture,\u201d said Carter Palmer<\/a>, an analyst at Forecast International<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CEO Limp, an Amazon.com veteran who\u00a0took over\u00a0in September of 2023, faces pressure to speed up the pace of a company viewed in the aerospace industry as lethargic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Glenn is key to clearing a $10 billion (R187 billion) backlog of launch contracts for commercial and government customers. The company has a prominent role in NASA\u2019s moon program.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of Blue Origin\u2019s satellite customers are facing extreme pressure to get their businesses off the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazon has booked trips on New Glenn to\u00a0build\u00a0its network of internet satellites. Similarly, AST SpaceMobile Inc. needs the rocket for its\u00a0space-based mobile service. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey need to ramp up, and they need to ramp up fast,\u201d said Caleb Henry<\/a>, director of research at Quilty Space, a consulting firm. \u201cTheir customers will truly feel the pain if they are not there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Glenn\u2019s business case rests on more than sending satellites aloft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Blue Origin is to become self-sustaining from its own revenue apart from Bezos\u2019 largess, it must prove New Glenn\u2019s reusability. That means returning the lower portion of the rocket to Earth intact enough to refurbish it and fly again a minimum of 25 times. The company believes that will slash the cost of space travel in a strategy similar to the one pioneered by SpaceX. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That may be a long time in coming. On Thursday, after the booster separated from the upper rocket, Blue Origin failed to land it on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with the missed booster landing, the mission elevated Blue Origin to an elite circle of US ventures capable of putting satellites into orbit, starting the company on a path to finally challenging SpaceX\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk congratulated his fellow billionaire on the milestone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He even played into the internet\u2019s idea of a budding bromance between the world\u2019s richest men, re-posting a meme from the screwball comedy \u201cStep Brothers\u201d with the line: \u201cDid we become best friends?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The billionaires\u2019 social media exchange showcased the two men\u2019s roles as leading innovators in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk also now has a prominent role in President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s inner circle after donating millions of dollars to his election campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And both men, along with Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly plan to attend Trump\u2019s inauguration on Jan. 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n That follows President Joe Biden\u2019s Jan. 15 farewell address in which he said \u2014 without mentioning anyone by name \u2014 that \u201can oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blue Origin\u2019s rocket boasts some capabilities that Falcon 9 doesn\u2019t have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n New Glenn can launch more mass to orbit and send heavier payloads to higher altitudes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Blue Origin hasn\u2019t disclosed the price tag for a launch, it could still inject new competition into the launch market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlue Origin has not talked a lot about pricing,\u201d said Carissa Christensen<\/a>, CEO of space analytics firm BryceTech. \u201cThat could still be a big disruptor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to develop its huge Starship rocket which could overshadow New Glenn\u2019s capabilities. But SpaceX likewise faces significant\u00a0development hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Glenn could be ready to vie with Falcon 9 before the end of the decade, creating a more competitive marketplace for commercial payloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCustomer Demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Booster Recycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rocket Competition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n