{"id":17090,"date":"2025-09-26T21:11:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T13:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/the-space-race-is-tightening-up-for-blue-origin-and-spacex-and-for-america-and-china\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T21:11:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T13:11:15","slug":"the-space-race-is-tightening-up-for-blue-origin-and-spacex-and-for-america-and-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/the-space-race-is-tightening-up-for-blue-origin-and-spacex-and-for-america-and-china\/","title":{"rendered":"The space race is tightening up for Blue Origin and SpaceX, and for America and China"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1260\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bezos-musk-1260x636.jpg\" alt=\"Blended image of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos celebrating\" class=\"wp-image-891698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bezos-musk-1260x636.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bezos-musk-768x388.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bezos-musk-1536x775.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bezos-musk-2048x1034.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have both celebrated space victories, but they\u2019ve also faced setbacks. (Musk at left: GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota, 2020. Bezos at right: Blue Origin Photo, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jeff Bezos\u2019&nbsp;Blue Origin&nbsp;space venture has only just begun to launch a heavy-lift rocket that was&nbsp;a decade in the making&nbsp;\u2014 its orbital-class&nbsp;New Glenn&nbsp;launch vehicle, which had its&nbsp;first flight in January. But it\u2019s already planning something even bigger to rival&nbsp;Starship, the super-rocket built by Elon Musk\u2019s&nbsp;SpaceX.<\/p>\n<p>Bezos simply isn\u2019t ready to share those plans yet.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, a super-heavy-lift rocket concept known as New Armstrong (named in honor of first moonwalker Neil Armstrong) has been talked about for almost as long as New Glenn (whose name pays tribute to John Glenn, the first American in orbit). Bezos&nbsp;mentioned the idea way back in 2016, but said at the time that it was \u201ca story for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Details about New Armstrong are still a story for the future, according to an account in&nbsp;\u201cRocket Dreams,\u201d&nbsp;a book about the billionaire space race written by Washington Post staff writer Christian Davenport. \u201cThey\u2019ve been very quiet about it,\u201d Davenport says in the latest episode of the&nbsp;Fiction Science podcast. \u201cI asked Jeff specifically about that at the New Glenn launch, and he didn\u2019t want to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the book, he quotes Bezos as saying only that \u201cwe are working on a vehicle that will come after New Glenn and lift more mass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New Armstrong is one of the few mysteries that Davenport wasn\u2019t able to crack in his account of the space rivalry between Bezos and Musk. Davenport&nbsp;first addressed that rivalry seven years ago&nbsp;in a book titled \u201cSpace Barons,\u201d but this updated saga is set in the context of an even bigger rivalry between America and China. Both nations are aiming to send astronauts to the moon by 2030, if not before.<\/p>\n<p><iframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3l3MWTThsPd2oFuPC4Yu7i?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy doubled down on the space race this week when the space agency&nbsp;introduced 10 new astronaut candidates&nbsp;to the public. \u201cI\u2019ll be damned if the Chinese beat NASA, or beat America, back to the moon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Duffy\u2019s boss, President Donald Trump, has high expectations as well. During his inaugural address, Trump said it was&nbsp;\u201cour manifest destiny\u201d&nbsp;to have U.S. astronauts plant the Stars and Stripes on Mars. Musk, who was in the audience, responded with a gleeful thumbs-up.<\/p>\n<p>Six decades ago, NASA was fully in charge of the first space race. But this time around, the space agency is depending more than ever on private companies to manage how America will get to the moon and Mars. The parallel races between America and China, and between SpaceX and Blue Origin, are the focus of \u201cRocket Dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, SpaceX is miles ahead: It\u2019s been flying astronauts for NASA since 2020, and beat out Blue Origin for a&nbsp;multibillion-dollar contract to land the first crew on the moon&nbsp;for NASA\u2019s Artemis program.<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cRocket Dreams,\u201d Davenport writes that SpaceX\u2019s dominance has been a long-running source of frustration for Bezos. On multiple occasions, reports bubbled up that \u201cAmazon Jeff\u201d would be turning up the heat on Blue Origin to accelerate progress \u2014 just as he has historically done at Amazon, the other company he founded.<\/p>\n<p>Bezos made his most recent major move two years ago when he&nbsp;named former Amazon VP Dave Limp to become Blue Origin\u2019s CEO. New Glenn\u2019s first launch came a little more than a year after Limp took the helm. But New Glenn\u2019s second launch \u2014 which is supposed to&nbsp;send a pair of orbiters to Mars for NASA&nbsp;\u2014 has been repeatedly delayed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey still have a lot to prove, and they\u2019re still really, really far behind SpaceX,\u201d Davenport says. \u201cI think Amazon Jeff is probably frustrated and wants to move faster.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"856\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/250925-davenport-book.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-891900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/250925-davenport-book.jpg 856w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/250925-davenport-book-768x404.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Washington Post staff writer Christian Davenport is the author of \u201cRocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos and the Insde Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race.\u201d (Left Photo: \u00a9 Jonathan Newton. Right: Book Cover via Crown Currency)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cRocket Dreams\u201d takes the story of the space race up to two of its recent high points: SpaceX\u2019s execution of a&nbsp;spectacular catch of the Starship launch system\u2019s Super Heavy booster&nbsp;last October, and the first launch of Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn. Since then, there have been a few new twists and turns.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX went through three less-than-fully successful Starship flight tests, followed by a&nbsp;more encouraging flight last month. The fact that Starship\u2019s development timeline is lagging behind Musk\u2019s ever-optimistic projections has led some to wonder whether a modified version of the Starship upper stage can get the Artemis 3 crew onto the lunar surface on&nbsp;NASA\u2019s 2027 timetable.<\/p>\n<p>Count Davenport among the wonderers. \u201cPretty much everyone knows that that\u2019s highly unlikely,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Blue Origin is continuing to work on its own Blue Moon lunar landing system, which was&nbsp;awarded a NASA contract&nbsp;two years after SpaceX won the initial lunar lander competition. The Blue Moon MK1 lander is currently scheduled to take on an uncrewed test mission to the moon&nbsp;within the coming year&nbsp;\u2014 which means it\u2019s possible that Blue Moon will reach the lunar surface before Starship does.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin is also working on moon-related projects beyond launch and landing. In one of the later chapters of \u201cRocket Dreams,\u201d Davenport recounts his visit to a secret laboratory north of Los Angeles, where Blue Origin engineers are working on technologies to convert moon dirt into valuable resources ranging from breathable oxygen to solar cells and transmission wire. The project, known as&nbsp;Blue Alchemist,&nbsp; won&nbsp;$34.7 million in NASA funding&nbsp;in 2023 and&nbsp;passed a critical design review&nbsp;just this month.<\/p>\n<p>Davenport says Blue Origin seems to be ahead of SpaceX in the development of off-world infrastructure. \u201cYou hear Elon talk about, yeah, we\u2019re going to build a city on Mars. But what technologies are you working on to make us have a sustainable presence there?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Davenport\u2019s earlier book, \u201cRocket Dreams\u201d doesn\u2019t spend a significant amount of ink on other players in the commercial space race \u2014 except to touch on Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson\u2019s role in&nbsp;spoiling the hype surrounding Bezos\u2019 suborbital spaceflight in 2021. The rise of a second wave of space upstarts will have to be documented in a future book.<\/p>\n<p>Davenport is most intrigued by Kent, Wash.-based Stoke Space, which is&nbsp;building its own reusable rocket. \u201cThey\u2019re moving incredibly fast, and everything you hear about their progress is very, very positive,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s always a lot of hype around these companies, and the bottom line is, you have to prove it. You have to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the biggest issues to watch for in a sequel have to do with the Trump administration and what happens to NASA\u2019s Artemis moon program over the next three years.<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cRocket Dreams,\u201d Davenport recounts an episode in which NASA officials had to tell Trump that a milestone launch would be postponed if the conditions weren\u2019t right, \u201cand there is nothing you can do about it.\u201d Will Trump take no-go for an answer this time around?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou begin to worry about safety \u2014 about cutting corners, doing something to accelerate the program, and getting there for the political goal of beating China,\u201d Davenport says. \u201cI just worry that maybe you do something that is unsafe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s fondness for winning isn\u2019t the only factor behind the new space race. There\u2019s a bigger reason why the federal government, and tech billionaires, are spending billions of dollars on space programs. In an age of increasing threats from above, ranging from&nbsp;drones&nbsp;to&nbsp;hypersonic weapons&nbsp;to&nbsp;satellite killers, space is the final frontier for national security \u2014 and for the perception of global technological prowess. That\u2019s just how it was during the first space race in the 1960s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the biggest themes in the next five to 10 years may not necessarily come from civil space, or it\u2019ll come from civil space acting somehow in concert with national security space, with the Pentagon,\u201d Davenport says. \u201cBecause I think the idea that space is a warfighting domain and a contested environment \u2014 that is here, unfortunately, and we are seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<p><em><em>Christian Davenport will discuss&nbsp;\u201cRocket Dreams\u201d&nbsp;and the new space race at Seattle\u2019s&nbsp;Museum of Flight&nbsp;at 7 p.m. PT Oct. 1, with Alan Boyle serving as the event\u2019s moderator. Check the museum website for&nbsp;ticket information, and consult&nbsp;this LinkedIn post&nbsp;to find out about Davenport\u2019s other upcoming book-tour events in Chicago; Orlando, Fla.; and Huntsville, Ala.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Alan Boyle\u2019s co-host for the Fiction Science podcast is Dominica Phetteplace, an&nbsp;award-winning writer&nbsp;who is a graduate of the&nbsp;Clarion West Writers Workshop&nbsp;and lives in San Francisco. To learn more about Phetteplace, visit her website,&nbsp;DominicaPhetteplace.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Fiction Science is included in&nbsp;FeedSpot\u2019s 100 Best Sci-Fi Podcasts. Check out&nbsp;the original version of this report on Cosmic Log&nbsp;for recommendations on further reading about the new space race. And stay tuned for&nbsp;future episodes of the&nbsp;Fiction Science podcast via&nbsp;Apple, Spotify, Player.fm, Pocket Casts and Podchaser. If you like Fiction Science, please rate the podcast and subscribe to get alerts for future episodes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have both celebrated space victories, but they\u2019ve also faced setbacks. (Musk at left: GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota, 2020. Bezos at right: Blue Origin Photo, 2021) Jeff Bezos\u2019&nbsp;Blue Origin&nbsp;space venture has only just begun to launch a heavy-lift rocket that was&nbsp;a decade in the making&nbsp;\u2014 its orbital-class&nbsp;New Glenn&nbsp;launch vehicle, which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,509,4418,1045,4419,1046,625,190,316],"class_list":["post-17090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-blue-origin","tag-books","tag-elon-musk","tag-fiction-science","tag-jeff-bezos","tag-moon","tag-nasa","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17090"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}