Two of the world's richest people, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are silently throwing shadow punches at each other once again, intensifying the rivalry for dominating outer space with their respective startups, SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Musk and Bezos are both tied at the top of the world's richest people list, with net worth of $216 billion each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That's $432 billion among two people, higher than the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 153 countries.
Musk and Bezos have also publicly expressed admiration for each other – the Tesla Inc. CEO once called Bezos "Super Buff" while the Amazon.com Inc. founder called Musk a "very capable leader."
But they have had their moments of disagreements, too.
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What Happened: While SpaceX has gone from strength to strength and is reportedly seeking a $210 billion valuation, Blue Origin cannot seem to catch a break, with the recent Starliner issues bringing its struggles back into focus.
However, in what could seem like a bad time to bring it up, Blue Origin has called for imposing multiple restrictions on rival SpaceX, including limiting the number of launches.
This resulted in a snarky comeback from Musk, who mocked his rival Bezos' company by calling it "Sue Origin."
Admiration Or Rivalry?
Blue Origin recently submitted a public comment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the environmental impact of SpaceX’s Starship operations at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Musk, however, was not pleased with these suggestions. He took to social media to express his displeasure and even suggested legal action against Blue Origin.
Blue Origin’s suggestions included capping the rate of Starship-SuperHeavy (Ss-SH) launch, landing, and other operations, as well as limiting its operations to specific times.
The company also called for infrastructure improvements or other operational changes to mitigate the effects of Ss-SH operations that could require a pause at other providers’ launch sites.
Blue Origin also suggested that SpaceX or the government indemnify third parties for any losses caused by Ss-SH operations and called for mandatory penalties for SpaceX for conducting operations not included in an active Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or for any other launch violations.
Musk, in response, criticized Blue Origin’s suggestions, calling them “obviously disingenuous” and “not cool.”
He also highlighted the past rivalry between the two companies, including Blue Origin’s previous attempts to sue SpaceX to stop it from using its primary launchpad.
Not Always Bitter
The ongoing rivalry between Musk and Bezos in the space industry has been a subject of interest for some time, but they haven’t always been bitter with each other.
Despite their differences, Bezos has previously acknowledged Musk’s leadership skills, and Musk has expressed gratitude for the praise coming his way from Bezos.
However, their space ambitions have been at odds on multiple occasions.
In 2021, Blue Origin filed a protest with the federal Government Accountability Office over NASA’s $2.9 billion contract award to SpaceX to build a lander for American astronauts to return to the moon, a case which it ultimately lost.
The recent move by Blue Origin to suggest restrictions on SpaceX’s operations at the Kennedy Space Center is the latest development in this ongoing battle.
Bezos’ Amazon is also facing legal action over launch contracts awarded to Blue Origin without considering competitor SpaceX.
The outcome of this latest dispute between the two billionaires could have significant implications for the future of the space industry.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image made via photos on Shutterstock
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