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Blue Origin is the latest company to join SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) in the U.S. Department of Defense'selection to compete for $5.6 billion in contracts under the new National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. This strategic move aims to contribute to a growing landscape of competition and innovation in the U.S. space industry.
While Blue Origin and SpaceX are often compared, mainly because of their founder's similarities, each company's philosophies and contributions to the sector are miles apart. Read on to learn more about the NSSL program and a deeper dive into SpaceX vs. Blue Origin.
In this edition of the Space Impulse Newsletter, you'll find:
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Space News Highlight ?
Blue Origin, SpaceX, And ULA Selected To Compete For $5.6 B In Pentagon Defense Launch Contracts
Blue Origin is the most recent company to join industry titans SpaceX and ULA in the running for $5.6 billion in defense contracts under the new National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. These contracts, spread over the next five years with a potential extension for another five years, will support the launch of critical national security satellites into orbit. The trio will compete for at least 30 more missions under the new NSSL Phase 3 program, which will run through June 2029.
Although Blue Origin hoped to compete alongside SpaceX and ULA in previous years, it was not selected and its protest was unsuccessful. The company now has a significant opportunity to prove its capability with its yet-to-launch New Glenn rocket. Blue Origin aims to conduct its first New Glenn flight by the end of this year, positioning itself for future national security launches.
In addition to the main competitors, emerging launch companies will have further opportunities to bid for future missions in 2025. This inclusion is part of the Pentagon’s effort to diversify the U.S. launch industry and foster more competition and innovation in national security space missions.
??SpaceX Vs Blue Origin – A Detailed Comparison In 2024
Over 20 years ago, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos founded their space companies in hopes of making their mark in the cosmos - Musk, through planetary colonization and Bezos through giant space stations. Today, only SpaceX has made it into orbit.
Musk's company has risen to become the world’s premier launch provider. Its Falcon 9 rockets lift off from Earth every few days, the self-landing boosters deftly touching back down, like clockwork, after every launch. The same can’t be said for its old rival, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin; despite beating SpaceX to the reusable rockets, Blue has yet to reach orbit, instead shuttling tourists to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere once in a while. Now, Blue’s looking to get back in the game. With a host of new projects up its sleeve.
Technological Innovations and Contributions
SpaceX’s orbital-class booster landings have singlehandedly transformed the industry. As the most expensive part of the rocket, reusing the boosters after each flight saves the company tens of millions; even though SpaceX charges customers over quadruple the marginal launch cost, those prices are still nowhere near anything else in the industry. The prices-per-kilo to orbit of its Falcon Heavy – a Falcon 9 with two additional boosters, designed to lift heftier payloads – are even cheaper. SpaceX also reuses its payload fairings to save another few million.
While Blue might not be able to compete just yet, it’s got a few innovations under its belt, too. This includes its BE-4 rocket engine, which made its debut during ULA’s maiden launch of its Vulcan rocket in early 2024. Like the Raptor, it runs on liquid oxygen and liquid methane – a newer fuel that’s all the rage these days – and clocks in at just under the Raptor’s efficiency. The BE-4s performed flawlessly during their first launch, paving the way for Blue to use them on a rocket of its own: the long-awaited New Glenn. This vehicle, around a hundred meters tall, is designed to work as a bigger Falcon 9, reusable booster and all.
Funding
Both SpaceX and Blue Origin are private companies, meaning they get investments from private sources; much of this stems from the founders themselves. The two have also snapped up several NASA or other governmental contracts, though SpaceX has more of them because, well, it has an orbital rocket. While Blue Origin is far from making a profit, SpaceX is beginning to turn the corner of its decades-long losses due to the rise of Starlink as well as its frequent commercial Falcon launches.
Challenges and Controversies
SpaceX and Blue Origin are regularly in the headlines, both for their space industry contributions and the drama and scandals that the founders and companies are involved with. While SpaceX is featured more in the media, sentiments for Blue Origin tend to be more positive.
SpaceX’s most striking controversy is just how much the US government is dependent on it. First, there are the launches, since the US has few other options to send up its satellites. Then there is Starlink. After Russia invaded Ukraine in March 2022, Starlink quickly established itself as an invaluable method of communication for Ukrainians, both civilian and military. It also proved useful for carrying out drone strikes against Russian forces – which Musk, citing worries about escalation, did not approve of. As the service was donated by Musk and SpaceX, Musk could switch it off anytime he fancied, causing widespread backlash; eventually, the Pentagon had to fork out a few million to continue providing Ukrainian military forces with the service.
Blue Origin doesn’t have those kinds of problems yet, but it has still garnered its fair share of difficulties. Most pressingly, it needs to sort out its sluggish internal processes and advance at a faster clip if it has any hope of keeping up with its peers. Its plan to pull off a flawless maiden New Glenn launch – carrying a NASA mission, no less – is a weighty challenge in itself. On the controversy side, Blue has had a lot to say for a company with such a smaller resume; the most noteworthy incident involved a bitter PR campaign and lawsuit after Blue lost its first Artemis lander bid to SpaceX. Blue managed to halt SpaceX’s progress for a few months – but ended up losing the suit too.
Looking at SpaceX and Blue Origin’s exploits, it’s clear that money – and lots of it – is key to doing business in space. But actually reaching it requires more: a game plan.
Read the full comparison between SpaceX and Blue Origin by Julia Seibert here .
Looking for more insights and resources to learn about and compare commercial, government, and academic space entities? The Space Impulse Market Intelligence Platform has captured data on the key companies, investors, universities and government organizations in the space tech industry.
Space Industry Quote of the Week ??
“The thing that we can do to increase the probable lifespan of civilization is to be a multi-planet species, to extend consciousness to other planets, ultimately to other star systems. [...]there’s somewhat of a race between making a self-sustaining city on Mars and global thermonuclear war or some calamity.”
- Elon Musk, discussing the underlying purpose behind SpaceX’s efforts.
Weekly Space News Roundup ??
The European Union has allocated €15 million to the ICARUS consortium led by Deimos to develop an inflatable heat shield. The funding, part of the Horizon Europe program, will support a comprehensive three-phase plan to bring this innovative technology to life. The project is set to kick off in June 2024, with the demonstrator test planned for 2028.
As the Kremlin threatens to unleash atomic weapons in its conflict with Ukraine and develops nuclear-armed spacecraft, one aerospace company aims to offer a sign of peace. The American co-founders of Starlab Space have partnered with European, Canadian and Japanese space-tech leaders to create an orbital space station symbolizing international camaraderie. They believe their station could maintain celestial peace amidst Earth’s conflicts.
The Space Network has announced a strategic partnership with Sustainable Alpha , a New York-based data analytics and investment advisory firm. The organizations will work together to create a comprehensive investment strategy that will target early-stage startups and companies looking to scale, providing them with crucial funding and business support. Scotland’s space sector is projected to see substantial growth, with revenue expected to reach ￡4 billion in the next six years and the creation of over 12,000 new jobs by 2030.
Vsquared Ventures has announced the final closing of its latest fund, Vsquared II. The oversubscribed fund closed at €214 million, surpassing its initial target of €165 million, making it the largest European early-stage deep tech fund to date. The closing of Vsquared II brings the fund’s total assets under management to about €450 million.
Rocket Lab USA has signed a preliminary memorandum of terms with the Department of Commerce to receive up to $23.9 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. The investment will boost the production of compound semiconductors for spacecraft and satellites and is expected to create over 100 jobs. In addition to federal support, the State of New Mexico has pledged $25.5 million in financial incentives to back Rocket Lab’s expansion.
Anduril Industries has landed a $19 million contract to design, build, and test second-stage rocket motors for the U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). This is Anduril’s first Pentagon deal for rocket motors. In line with its strategic goals, Anduril also announced a $75 million investment to expand its solid rocket motor production facility in McHenry, Mississippi.
泰雷兹 , Spire , and the European Satellite Services Provider have teamed up to develop a satellite-based surveillance system. The trio signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to develop and deploy a new constellation of over 100 satellites. The initiative aims to launch and operate the system by 2027.
In addition to the initial constellation, the partnership will work on developing a system that can geolocate aircraft positions in real-time without relying on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS.
LeoLabs has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II contract to develop next-generation radar technology. The US Department of the Air Force contract is aimed at countering growing and evolving security threats in space. The company plans to expand its global sensor network and enhance its capabilities for new missions to ensure the security of space.
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