Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launches SpaceX rival
VergeJAN 6
Blue Origin Successfully Launches SpaceX Rival Rocket
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Above: A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 36 from the Kennedy Space Center on its maiden flight at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan.16, 2025. Image copyright: Gregg Newton/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Jeff Bezos' spacefaring ventures are now catching up to the impressive capabilities of Elon Musk. Despite the cynicism of "spacefaring billionaires," the reality is that society benefits from this type of innovation. From spin-off technologies that benefit life on Earth to exploring new celestial frontiers, the good resulting from private innovation in the space sector is incalculable.
Narrative B
That tech oligarchs have their own personal space armadas and are deeply intertwined with the US government is beyond disturbing. What "space billionaires" have done to occupy Earth's orbit they now stand to inflict on democracy itself. What's needed is urgent regulation of the space-faring tech class — space is a good place to start to help clean up the debris and atmospheric damage already caused by extravagant celestial ventures.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 0.5% chance that Elon Musk will personally set foot on the moon by 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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