SpaceX could benefit from the Blue Origin rocket explosion

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded just seconds after the test firing began at 9 p.m. on May 28. According to Time, vWith the Artemis program, the US aims to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2028, before President Donald Trump’s second term ends. Blue Origin and SpaceX are competing fiercely in building lunar landers to supply to NASA. Even before the New Glenn rocket explosion, the 2028 timeline was very difficult to achieve.

Theo The Washington PostUS officials have been cautious about the capabilities of private missile manufacturers. The fact that the New Glenn rocket – one of the top potential options – had a problem and exploded on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on May 28, causing even more concern. “New Glenn’s presence creates optimism that America has options,” said Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and professor of astronautical engineering at the University of Southern California. “With this incident, it may take a long time for the US to regain the position of having as many options as before. NASA now only has the Starship rocket left.”

“Both companies are behind schedule for different reasons. Previously, it seemed that Blue Origin was ready to catch up and surpass SpaceX to have a completed lunar lander. But now that is no longer the case,” said Todd Harrison, senior space policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Blue Origin currently does not have a specific timeline for testing again with another rocket. According to Harrison, the company will not be able to have the lander ready by 2027 – when NASA plans to test a capsule capable of carrying crew and landers.

However, Harrison also noted that SpaceX’s most recent Starship test, “Flight 12”, was also not a perfect success due to several engine failures during flight. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has suspended flights of Starship pending an investigation.

In addition to the field of space exploration, the New Glenn rocket explosion also pushed back Amazon’s ambitions to compete with SpaceX in the satellite Internet segment. This rocket was expected to put 48 Amazon satellites into low Earth orbit to increase the retail group’s satellite broadband network coverage.

The key to Blue Origin’s ability to return to racing, experts say, lies in how quickly the company can restore the launch pad.

“Blue Origin will have to conduct an investigation to find out what happened to the rocket, and also have to rebuild the launch pad. This could take many months, even more than a year, depending on the severity of the damage,” Harrison said.

Lori Garver, former deputy administrator of NASA, said it is difficult to estimate how long rebuilding the launch pad will take, but the damage this time appears to be severe and could last a year or more. Blue Origin is building a second launcher, but it’s not yet at the operational stage.

Overall, the New Glenn rocket explosion helps SpaceX and Elon Musk further strengthen their dominant position in space, according to The Washington Post. Both the US government and many consumers now rely even more on SpaceX’s services, on the eve of the company’s initial public offering (IPO).