Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are attempting to capitalize on the recent rift between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk to secure more government contracts.
The Wall Street Journal reports that as the distance caused by the feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk lingers despite Musk’s recent apology to Trump, Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are positioning themselves to potentially benefit from the fallout. In recent weeks, Bezos and Blue Origin executives have engaged in discussions with Trump and his administration, appealing for a larger share of government contracts in the wake of the Trump-Musk split.
The outreach from Bezos and Blue Origin comes on the heels of a very public breakup between Trump and Musk in early June. Their relationship soured after Musk criticized Trump-backed legislation on Twitter and suggested forming a new political party. In response, Trump hinted that Musk’s businesses, including SpaceX, could face repercussions, stating, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
One reason Bezos may see fresh opportunities for Blue Origin is that Musk threatened to cripple America’s space program during his unhinged tirade against Trump. As Breitbart News previously reported:
Elon Musk’s threat to “decommission” the Dragon spacecraft, which is currently the only U.S. option for transporting crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS), was met with concern from the space community. However, just hours after his initial announcement, Musk reversed course, stating, “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” in response to a user on his social media platform X who urged him to “cool off and take a step back for a couple days.”
SpaceX has been a massive federal contractor, receiving more than $20 billion in contracts from NASA, the Air Force, and other agencies since 2008. The Dragon spacecraft has played a crucial role in NASA’s missions, most recently saving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth in March after they were stranded at the ISS due to issues with a Boeing Starliner capsule. In April, a Dragon craft also delivered essential supplies, equipment, and science investigations to the ISS.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp reportedly met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in mid-June, bookended by calls between Bezos and Trump. During these discussions, Trump expressed his desire to see a crewed mission to the moon during his term in office. Bezos has also sought to charm the president in recent months, even inviting him to his celebrity-filled wedding in Venice, though Trump is not expected to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
The rivalry between Bezos and Musk in the space industry has been ongoing for years, with SpaceX pulling far ahead of Blue Origin in terms of launch frequency and NASA contracts. Blue Origin executives have been concerned about Musk’s close relationship with Trump and how it could affect their access to government contracts. The current rift presents a potential opening for Blue Origin to gain ground.
However, Blue Origin faces a significant challenge in demonstrating its ability to reliably launch its orbital rocket, New Glenn, on a regular basis. While the company successfully launched New Glenn for the first time in January, reaching orbit on the first attempt, it has struggled to maintain a consistent launch schedule. In contrast, SpaceX’s Falcon rockets have become a workhorse for government clients, with the company aiming to launch 170 times this year. Despite the big lead SpaceX enjoys, it has suffered a series of high profile failures including a spectacular explosion on the launchpad last week.
SpaceX has secured larger government contracts compared to Blue Origin, given its lead in launch and in-space operations. In April, SpaceX was awarded a $5.9 billion deal by a Space Force command for 28 planned flights, while Blue Origin received $2.4 billion for seven launches.
As Blue Origin pushes to scale up its operations, the company hopes to launch a cargo vehicle to the moon and land it on the lunar surface this year. The two companies may also compete for government deals related to Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile-defense effort and proposed NASA projects for Mars exploration.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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