Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, has expressed his confidence that his space exploration company will not be threatened by the close ties between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump, according to a recent interview with Reuters.
In the interview, Bezos downplayed the potential impact of Musk's relationship with Trump on the space industry, stating that he does not think Musk will use his connections to gain an unfair advantage in the space race.
Bezos' comments come at a time when the space industry is experiencing a surge in private investment and innovation, with companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic leading the charge.
The space race has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with companies vying for government contracts and funding to support their respective missions to explore and commercialize space.
Musk's SpaceX has been a major player in the industry, with a number of high-profile contracts with NASA and the US military, as well as a successful track record of launching satellites and cargo into orbit.
However, Bezos' Blue Origin has also been making significant strides in recent years, with a number of successful test flights of its New Shepard suborbital launch system and a planned launch of its orbital launch vehicle, the New Glenn, in the near future.
Despite the competitive landscape, Bezos expressed his optimism about the future of the space industry and his confidence in Blue Origin's ability to compete with SpaceX and other companies.
Bezos also emphasized the importance of private investment and innovation in driving the space industry forward, stating that government funding and support are essential but not sufficient to achieve the industry's full potential.
The relationship between Musk and Trump has been the subject of much speculation and debate in recent months, with some observers suggesting that Musk's close ties to the President-elect could give SpaceX an unfair advantage in the space industry.
However, Bezos downplayed the significance of Musk's relationship with Trump, stating that he does not think it will have a major impact on the space industry or Blue Origin's competitiveness.
Instead, Bezos emphasized the importance of focusing on the core mission of exploring and commercializing space, and of driving innovation and progress through private investment and competition.
Overall, Bezos' comments suggest that he is confident in Blue Origin's ability to compete with SpaceX and other companies in the space industry, and that he is focused on driving innovation and progress through private investment and competition.