It's hard to imagine Blue Origin doing anything like this. SpaceX is in a league of its own.
Just for reference, this isn't perfectly accurate because i can't find exact measurements of the booster only, but the entire starship is a little over 400ft.
This makes the Statue of Liberty a tad taller than the booster alone from what it looks like, but this should give some references to try to picture the scale of what just happened and why this is a big deal.
This is the rocket that they expect to be able to potentially take humans (back? 🤔) to the moon and further, and it just launched into space, returned on its own, and was firmly and safely placed back to the exact same position where it will take off from for its next mission. 🤯
This is where you can see the workers in comparison...
https://i.nostr.build/kxGqnWWNwDG1PuC2.webp
https://i.nostr.build/HFODRV1ohGahuMP6.webp
nostr:note14jtqn8a48r24vg6g794rpntvavc87lkfd0vf6y3q0u0298qzz35qw0hc60
Discussion
I'm surprised Blue Origin is still in the picture with how long they're taking STILL to roll out the New Glenn rocket.
Bezos has deep pockets.
He does, and seems pretty well tied into the existing space-industrial-complex. I think he's really there to be a champion for the legacy system to compete with Musk.
Don't get me wrong Musk is also part of the cartel, but he has a different philosophy and different goals than the previously established players and has caused them major embarrassment with his success.
Spot on. I watched the factory tours with Musk and Bezos and the contrast is striking. Bezos' factory is too polished, almost designed for tours. There's no sense of urgency, probably because he knows he'll get a contract regardless (like Boeing).
Yep, I toured the Kent, WA facility multiple times when I was in college, and it was the same. It's obvious that some amount of work has been and is being done there, but it's too clean and no sense of urgency. I was excited about the New Glenn when they first released the Payload User's Guide, but then it just never led to anything. In a competitive environment that's usually a sign of failure to roll out a successful product.
💯 It's already been three years since Captain Kirk got to float weightless for a few minutes. 😂