Latest news with #GS2s
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Elon Musk finally gets some good news from Jeff Bezos
The future of space transportation is looking increasingly complicated, as the falling-out between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump drags on. After Musk levied strong accusations against Trump and publicly stated he would not have been elected without his support, the president struck back with threats to cancel several SpaceX contracts. This leaves the company's short-term future in a precarious position, jeopardizing Musk's ambitions of colonizing Mars. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Multiple space stocks responded to news of this conflict by surging, as investors looked to capitalize on SpaceX's questionable future. But one of Musk's primary rivals, a fellow privately held space exploration company, also recently revealed some less-than-positive news. Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, recently made an announcement regarding its plans for the future, which could be regarded as good news for SpaceX and Musk. Image source: Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images While they both rose to fame founding companies that aren't direct competitors, Musk and Bezos are clear rivals in the space race. SpaceX and Blue Origin are both privately held and focused on space exploration and rocket technology. Related: Tesla faces new challenge as leader announces exit SpaceX is intended to be Musk's vehicle for colonizing Mars, while Bezos seems intent on cornering the space tourism market, which also includes rivals such as Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. However, the two private companies are considered the leaders in the space exploration field. Blue Origin, though, recently reported what seems to be a setback. The company had been targeting Spring 2025 for the launch of its New Glenn rocket, a 320-foot-tall (98 meters) spacecraft with a reusable first stage, but now it has announced that the new launch will be held no earlier than (NET) August 15, 2025. CEO David Limp posted about to the delayed launch on X, revealing that one of the mission's key objectives would be to land and recover its booster. "This will take a little bit of luck and a lot of excellent execution," he states, adding that the company is on track to produce GS2s, referring to the second stage of the rocket. Following New Glenn's mostly successful January 2025 mission, the company hasn't indicated more progress toward further launches, even after its leaders initially set high expectations for its rocket launches. Now, as Ars Technica speculates, the August launch may be the only one Blue Origin completes this year. More Elon Musk News: Elon Musk company reveals major leap forwardThe 'anti-Tesla' gives American buyers more good newsElon Musk's DOGE made huge mistakes with veterans' programs While Bezos may not be happy about this launch delay, it is excellent news for Musk, whose own company has seen three rockets explode so far this year. Even before the company's third mission spiraled out of control mid-flight, regulators had expressed concern about possible safety risks for people on the ground. There's no denying that both companies have faced challenges this year, as both race to outmaneuver each other and establish themselves as the leader of the space exploration market. Recent projections show that the space economy is expected to reach a $944 billion valuation by 2033, revealing a lot of room to run for companies. Related: Space stocks soar as Elon Musk and Donald Trump argue The problems plaguing both companies, though, raise the question of which one is better positioned to keep growing. SpaceX has launched several rockets this year, but its track record hasn't been encouraging, given the trend of explosions. And while Blue Origin has delayed its launch, that doesn't mean it will go well when it happens. On top of that, SpaceX still faces the possibility that it may lose out on lucrative federal contracts, unless Musk and Trump's feud is resolved soon. The zero-sum nature of financial markets means that for as long as its prospects appear uncertain, rivals will likely continue to gain. In this case, the list of companies that may benefit from SpaceX's uncertain future includes Blue Origin. Related: Billionaire fund manager, skeptical of AI, backs shocking stock The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2nd launch of Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket delayed to Aug. 15 at the earliest
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket will be groundbound for at least another couple of months. Jeff Bezos' aerospace company had been targeting late spring for the second launch of the 320-foot-tall (98 meters) New Glenn, which features a reusable first stage. But that's no longer the plan. "New Glenn's second mission will take place NET [no earlier than] August 15th," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said via X on Monday (June 9). "Following in the footsteps of our first booster, we've chosen the name 'Never Tell Me The Odds' for Tail 2," he added in the post. "One of our key mission objectives will be to land and recover the booster. This will take a little bit of luck and a lot of excellent execution. We're on track to produce eight GS2s this year, and the one we'll fly on this second mission was hot-fired in April. Gradatim Ferociter!" The first New Glenn booster was named "So You're Telling Me There's a Chance," a line from the 1994 Jim Carrey movie "Dumb and Dumber." The "chance" Blue Origin was referring to was the possibility that the booster would land safely on the company's drone ship shortly after its Jan. 16 launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. That didn't happen, but the rest of that debut flight went well: New Glenn successfully carried its payload — a test version of Blue Origin's new Blue Ring spacecraft platform — to Earth orbit. The GS2s that Limp mentioned are New Glenn upper stages. And the number he cited is meaningful; the company has previously said that it planned to launch eight New Glenn missions this year — a target that is almost certainly out of reach at this point, as Ars Technica's Eric Berger noted. "Gradatim ferociter," by the way, is Blue Origin's motto. It's Latin for "Step by step, ferociously." Related stories: — Blue Origin: Everything you need to know about the private spaceflight company — New Glenn: Blue Origin's reusable rocket — NASA delays ESCAPADE Mars launch on Blue Origin's giant New Glenn rocket to 2025 to avoid potential cost overruns Limp's X post didn't give a reason for the delay to Aug. 15. And the company still hasn't announced what New Glenn — which can haul 50 tons (45 metric tons) of payload to low Earth orbit (LEO) — will carry on the test flight. In February, during a talk at the 27th Annual Commercial Space Conference in Washington, Limp said that Blue Origin was "still looking for opportunities." "If it came to it and we just had to fly a mass simulator, we'll fly a mass simulator," he said at the time.
