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Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast. This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla, X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink. I'm your host, Will Walden. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully reached orbit on its maiden flight Thursday, marking a critical achievement for Jeff Bezos' space company and intensifying its rivalry with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The 98-meter-tall rocket launched at 2.02 local time, that's 7.02 GMT, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a prototype satellite thousands of miles above Earth. And while the rocket's main objective, to achieve orbit, was accomplished, the mission also faced setbacks, including the failure to recover its reusable booster, which was lost during an attempted landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, the launch firmly positions Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin as a growing competitor to Musk's SpaceX, with the two billionaires vying to dominate the commercial space industry. Now, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp praised the milestone, stating, We'll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring. Musk also acknowledged the achievement, writing on X, Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt, Jeff Bezos.
Now, despite the camaraderie, the competitive stakes could not be any higher as both companies aim to lead the industry in satellite networks, human spaceflight, and also lunar exploration.
New Glenn, which was named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, is Blue Origin's most powerful rocket to date. It was designed to carry heavy payloads into orbit, making it more capable than SpaceX's workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9. And Base Sources intends to use New Glenn to support his Project Kuiper initiative, which aims to deploy thousands of low-earth orbit satellites to provide global broadband services.
This effort puts Blue Origin in direct competition with SpaceX's Starlink, which already has a large constellation of satellites providing internet access to millions worldwide. While the orbital success of New Glenn is a milestone, the mission highlighted some technical challenges for Blue Origin.
The rocket's first stage booster, engineered for reuse, failed to land on an ocean platform as planned. Roughly 20 minutes into the flight, the company confirmed the booster had been lost. The ability to reuse boosters is a cornerstone of SpaceX's business model, and the failure underscores Blue Origin's ongoing struggle to match SpaceX's efficiency in this area. The mission also endured delays before
Before liftoff. Initially scheduled for a pre-dawn launch on Monday, the flight was postponed due to ice accumulation in key plumbing systems.
Engineers resolved the issue in time for Thursday's successful launch, which took place from a historic launch pad that previously sent NASA's Mariner and Pioneer missions into space. The payload for this flight included an experimental satellite platform that remained attached to the rocket's second stage while in orbit after six hours of operation. The second stage will be maneuvered into a higher orbit to comply with NASA's space debris guidelines.
Now, Blue Origin was founded about 25 years ago. They've long envisioned a future where millions of people live and work in space. Until now, its achievements have largely centered on its smaller reusable New Shepard rocket, which conducts suborbital flights carrying passengers and scientific payloads to the edge of space.
Notably, Jeff Bezos himself participated in one of these flights in 2021. However, Blue Origin has struggled to keep pace with SpaceX, which launched 134 missions in 2023 and continues to develop its next-generation Starship rocket for deep space exploration. Now, the Starship, designed to carry massive payloads and cruise to the Moon and Mars, remains a looming presence in the industry.
The company plans to conduct its seventh test flight of Starship later today on the 16th of January. Starship's capability surpasses that of New Glenn, but the success of Blue Origin's new rocket is a signal that competition between the two companies is intensifying. Industry observers predict that this rivalry could drive innovation while reducing the cost of accessing space.
Now, what you're going to see are these two companies challenge each other to make even greater strides. The growing rivalry between Blue Origin and SpaceX is already reshaping the commercial space industry, where private companies are taking over roles historically dominated by government agencies like NASA.
Now, NASA also once relied exclusively on government-built rockets. It's increasingly shifted towards partnerships with private firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin. And SpaceX has secured billions of dollars in contracts to deliver supplies, satellites, and even astronauts into orbit. And while Blue Origin is still working to establish itself as a reliable provider of space services, with New Glenn's successful debut...
Bezos' company has positioned itself as a stronger competitor for future NASA contracts and other government projects. Now, I've noticed that about 52% of you that listen to this podcast aren't subscribed to it. I checked out the analytics. And if you could do me a favor, if you like SpaceX, NASA, Spaceflight, also Tesla, Boring Company, Neuralink, X...
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Now, despite the orbital success of Blue Origin, it's an uphill battle in catching up with SpaceX's well-established lead. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets are routinely reused for multiple missions, significantly lowering costs and increasing the frequency of launches. Additionally, SpaceX's Starlink satellite network is already operational, whereas Blue Origin's Project Kuiper is still in its early stages, with only a fraction of its planned satellite constellation launched.
The competition is further fueled by the personal dynamics between Bezos and Musk. Both billionaires have publicly sparred over their visions for space exploration, with Musk often taking jabs at Bezos for Blue Origin's slower progress. However, Bezos has remained steadfast in his long-term vision, emphasizing that building a sustainable presence in space will require time, investment, and patience.
Now, the failure to recover New Glenn's reusable booster is a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead of Blue Origin. They'll eventually do it, but developing a reliable and cost-effective system for usability will be essential if the company hopes to compete with SpaceX on both performance and price. Nevertheless, the successful orbital launch of New Glenn marks a major step forward for Blue Origin, and it proves that they have the capability to develop and deploy heavy lift rockets.
Now, this is going to heat up. Blue Origin and SpaceX are going to go after one another. The benefits for the broader space industry and for us are becoming increasingly apparent. Greater competition is likely to result in technological advancements, reduced costs, and expanded access to space for governments,
businesses, researchers, and eventually people like you and me. But for now, Bezos and Musk remain locked in a race that could redefine humanity's relationship with space for generations to come. We might actually get to Mars because of two billionaires that are battling between two mega rockets. That's pretty wild to think about.
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