With successful New Glenn flight, Blue Origin may finally be turning the corner

“That’s the small one,” Bezos commented. “Mark 2 is twice as tall and twice as wide.”

These are impressive vehicles, built on a large scale. They’re important first steps toward delivering cargo—Mark 1 could launch within the next 12 to 18 months—and eventually crew. But none of these next steps can happen without New Glenn as the foundational first step. That’s why this month’s launch was so important.

Jeff Bezos (second from right) converses with guests, including Ivanka Trump (L) and Elon Musk (second from left), at a candlelight dinner for US President-elect Donald Trump at the National Building Museum on January 19, 2025, in Washington.

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Bezos is clearly thinking through all this methodically. First, develop the road to space. And once you have that, what’s next? You need to learn to live off the land.

“In my mind, the next big step is in situ resource development,” he said. “So that’s really a big unlock. For example, if you can make propellant on the Moon, that’s a really big deal. You know, lifting a kilogram of mass off the Moon takes 25 times less energy than lifting a kilogram of mass off Earth. So if you’re talking about moving about the Solar System, being able to get propellants and other materials, construction materials and so on from heavenly bodies is a big deal.”

It’s a great vision, and it’s nice to finally see Blue taking the first steps. What happens next will come down to Bezos’ will, his finances, and whatever path the US government decides to follow.

Days after New Glenn’s first launch, Bezos attended the inauguration of Donald Trump, standing near Musk. The founder of SpaceX played a major role in getting Trump elected and has been advising him on space policy.

Bezos and Musk, the tortoise and the hare, appeared chatty and friendly in a way that has not been the norm for the rivals. More commonly, they have sniped at one another rather than chummed it up. Perhaps now, they’ll team up to help America spread among the stars.

We’ll see. Musk is interested in Mars, and Bezos is more fixated on the Moon. Ultimately, Trump may tell them both to follow their hearts, with the US government coming along for the ride.