Posted on 05/19/2024 6:00:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Bezos' company hasn't been able to deliver the scaled-up version of the methane-burning engine used in the hopper joy ride (which is the only one flying).
They'd probably have learned some things if they'd made an orbital class rocket out of the hopper and wouldn't be years behind delivering their seven-BE-4 engine New Glenn. ULA is also kept waiting for the BE-4, as they changed their plans to use that instead in 2018. There's a 'news story' here in the search results from September 2023, that Blue Origin was preparing to produce hundreds of them.
Meanwhile, Musk's apparent plan to have the Starship replace the Falcon 9 has been postponed and to great effect. If he'd taken the leap and ditched a working orbital system, he'd be sitting at the kiddie table with Bezos.
The Starlink constellation of terrestrial comm satellites continues to get launched, the Falcon 9 autonomous propulsive landings on unmanned autonomous barges has had a crazy-high rate of success, and the first completely successful Starship launch before 2025 appears likely.
Plus, LM has never stated any such thing.
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