The Milky Way (Shutterstock Photo)
Is there any place in the universe too big for Jeff Bezos to want to conquer?
After crushing the world of retail, technology, shipping logistics, and a host of current projects poised to disrupt or create new markets, why wouldn’t Bezos think he could dominate outer space? The Amazon (AMZN) CEO, who currently ranks at the world's third-wealthiest person, has pioneered space launch company, Blue Origin, which is expected to reveal some customers and new initiatives this week.
With what began as just an interesting idea, Bezos, a self-proclaimed "space geek,” has already established tons of credibility for Blue Origin, which offers a family of reusable rockets powerful enough to penetrate deep into the solar system for suborbital voyages. Bezos envisions one day humans establishing a permanent settlement on the moon. It’s more than just a pipe dream. And given his Midas track record, Bezos’ space exploration plans should be taken seriously.
The capabilities of Blue Origin, which has grown over the past year, can now blast both manned and robotic missions not only to the moon, but also to various planets. Flight safety tests are ongoing on the company’s New Shepard suborbital rocket, which Blue Origin built in-house and reportedly can take paying passengers into outer space some time next year.
Blue Origin rivals the powerful rockets currently being touted by Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's SpaceX. While Musk appears to have a sizable lead on Bezos, given that SpaceX already has several rockets under development, Blue Origin has already caught the attention of NASA, which is already working on its own version of a deep-space booster and capsule, according to The Wall Street Journal.
What’s more, Bezos’ quick space advancements with Blue Origin has already won the distinguished Heinlein Prize for "progress in commercial space activities that advances [the] dream of humanity's future in space." Meanwhile, Aviation Week proclaimed Blue Origin its 60th Annual Space Laureate. And the fact that Bezos is willing to partner with NASA and bankroll space exploration underscores the will with which his interstellar ambitions run.
Notably, the cost of Blue Origin and how it can be funded is one of several key differences with SpaceX. Bezos recently described "the cost of admission ... is quite high.... So very few experiments get done." Still, as the world’s third-richest person with almost $70B in net worth, Bezos can buy time to perfect Blue Origin. This race for outer space suggests that space is indeed the new frontier. Whether it’s the final frontier, as Star Trek claims? That remains to be seen.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
