Musk’s SpaceX vs. Bezos’ Blue Origin in Space
SpaceX makes headlines in technology news since the start of the month. This followed after the successful mission of the Crew Dragon Endeavor. The commercially-built and operated spacecraft carried two astronauts under the commercial crew program of NASA.
The success of the launch advanced SpaceX’s credibility above its competitors. The Dragon is now close to attaining its human flight certification after its successful return early this month.
This raised hopes for interplanetary travel through commercial human space flight, adding another laurel to the modern technology enthusiast, Elon Musk.
Similarly, a previous successful government satellite launched and uncrewed spaceflights to ISS. It delivered cargo and other supplies contributed to the well-earned muscle-flexing.
Putting forward its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, SpaceX secured a multi-billion dollar deal with the US Airforce. There Falcon is one of the two winners in the replacement of Russian rocket technology.
Bezos-owned Blue Origin lost the bid. CEO Bob Smith expressed his dismay over the decision. He said that his company gave a compelling proposal by offering its “heavy-lift” rocket performers to secure the deal, but to no avail.
United Launch Alliance was awarded 60% of the stake while the remaining 40% goes to the Hawthorne-based aerospace manufacturer.
The project is part of the second phase of the National Security Launch in 2022, under a five-year contract. The first phase was awarded to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and ULA.
Despite the setback, analysts predict that this is the start of Musk-Bezos competition for space exploration in the years to come.
SpaceX’s First Resort
There is nothing that can restrain Elon Musk’s ultimate goal of a Mars invasion and the first multi-planetary travel for regular passengers.
Unveiled in 2019, Starship is fully-reusable and can transport up to a hundred people in one launch. The Starship prototype SN5 made its 150-meter hop last week at the Boca Chica development facility.
The success of the low-altitude hop put technology and space enthusiasts in a great mood. Mainly because most rockets fail at this stage due to pressurization problems.
However, of all the possible ventures of the revolutionary space technology firm, a resort may be the first to be singled out. SpaceX reveals its plan to make Texas Spaceport in Boca Chica a “Gateway to Mars”.
The vision of a 21st-century resort and spaceport comes with the company’s desire to create a holistic experience for point-to-point Earth travel. This will add to the unique customer experience of the “space tourists” and “spacefarers”.
A job posting for a Resort Development Manager who will oversee the development of SpaceX’s first resort from inception to completion caught the attention of many space travel enthusiasts.
Earlier in 2020, the construction of the SpaceX Village came to light after a job posting for a coordinator surfaced. The community will feature 100 bookable rooms with entertainment activities such as volleyball tournaments, kayaking, among others.
