By Joey RouletteCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – Jeff Bezos believes that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will not leverage his close relationship with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to undermine Bezos’ own space company, Blue Origin. Bezos expressed confidence in the incoming administration’s space agenda, stating, “Elon has been very clear that he’s doing this for the public interest and not for his personal gain. And I take him at face value.” Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, a key competitor to SpaceX in the space industry, shared these views with Reuters during an interview on Sunday in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
During the interview, Bezos disclosed that he is very optimistic about Blue Origin’s future, particularly with the impending debut launch of New Glenn, a 30-story-tall rocket. This launch is anticipated to challenge SpaceX’s dominance in the market and mark the long-awaited entry of Blue Origin into the satellite launch sector.
Elon Musk, who invested over a quarter of a billion dollars to support Trump’s presidential campaign, has been influential in shaping the president-elect’s stance on space-related issues. Musk’s recent advocacy for a direct mission to Mars, bypassing the moon, has raised industry concerns about potential disruptions to NASA’s space exploration program.
When asked about his thoughts on potential changes to NASA’s moon program under the new administration, Bezos emphasized the importance of continuity in space exploration efforts. He remarked, “My own opinion is that we should do both – we need to go to the moon and we should go to Mars. What we shouldn’t do is start and stop things. We should continue with the lunar program for sure.”
Looking ahead to Trump’s second term, it is anticipated that significant adjustments will be made to NASA’s moon program, with a renewed focus on Mars missions. Amazon, the company founded by Bezos, has contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and will broadcast the event on its Prime Video platform. Despite having met with Trump, Bezos clarified that discussions about space have not been a prominent topic of conversation.
Blue Origin, established by Bezos in 2000, has secured a $3 billion contract with NASA to facilitate human landings on the moon in the coming years. This initiative follows the development of SpaceX’s Starship, Musk’s innovative reusable rocket that aims to facilitate human and cargo missions to both the moon and Mars.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
