Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos Prepare for Epic Space Showdown | Science, Climate & Tech News
The wealthiest individuals globally are gearing up for a space rivalry.
Elon Musk and Amazon pioneer Jeff Bezos have both launched prototype rockets on the same day, a contest involving billions.
SpaceX’s Starship showcases Musk’s remarkable willingness to take risks. He embraces innovation through failure, though the most recent test flight didn’t go perfectly.
Communication was lost with the upper section of the rocket eight minutes into the flight, and engineers will analyze the data to determine the cause.
However, the booster, which had already detached, successfully returned to its launching point.
In the last test, it fell into the ocean due to a technical issue. This time, it descended at supersonic speed, slowed to hover, and was effectively captured by ‘chopstick’ arms on the launch tower.
This functionality is not just for aesthetics. Reusable rockets are essential for reducing launch expenses.
Bezos plans to utilize rocket components multiple times as well.
His company, Blue Origin, achieved orbit with its heavy-lift rocket, New Glenn, on their first attempt.
While that is an impressive feat, their attempt to land the booster stage on a ship in the Atlantic didn’t succeed. Similar to Starship, it remains a work in development.
On paper, Musk appears to have the edge in this space race against his competitor.
Last year, his rockets were responsible for half of the launches globally.
However, Bezos remains unfazed; his focus is on the long-term vision.
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New Glenn will not only launch his network of broadband satellites to rival Musk’s Starlink, but he also holds defense contracts.
Like Musk, he has contracts with NASA to transport crew and cargo to the moon.
A new era of space exploration is on the horizon, with the tech entrepreneurs who built their fortunes on Earth now looking toward new adventures in the cosmos.