Bezos Space Ambitions at Risk With Musk’s Man at NASA
Amazon founder’s Blue Origin has begun winning government contracts, but Musk and his allies have influence over US space policy.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off in January.
Photographer: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty ImagesJeff Bezos got some good news in April. His Blue Origin rocket company scored a $2.4 billion contract from the US Space Force to loft military satellites into space. The award was a coup for the startup and showed it was finally playing in the same league as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which won a related contract worth $5.9 billion.
To maintain the momentum, Bezos needs to keep winning government business, but there’s a complication. Musk, his longtime rival, has the ear of President Donald Trump and is expected to retain considerable sway over transportation and space policies for years to come.