How Blue Origin Tried to Embarrass SpaceX Starship... It Backfired Horribly
How Blue Origin Tried to Embarrass SpaceX Starship... It Backfired Horribly === #alphatech #techalpha #spacex #elonmusk === How Blue Origin Tried to Embarrass SpaceX Starship... It Backfired Horribly Once again, Blue Origin is racing at full speed to get New Glenn into orbit, desperately trying to beat SpaceX’s Starship to the punch. They believe that if they just launch first, they’ll steal the spotlight, snatch NASA’s trust, and walk away with every major government contract.But they’re dead wrong.Even if they somehow pull off five, or even ten successful launches this year…Starship will still dominate as the undisputed number one, in every single category that matters.So how is that even possible? Let’s find out. How Blue Origin Tried to Embarrass SpaceX Starship... It Backfired Horribly While SpaceX is busy hustling at Starbase in Texas, racing to prepare the next Starship flight early next month, over in Florida at Launch Complex 36, Blue Origin — SpaceX’s longtime arch-rival — is keeping pace without missing a beat.They’re moving fast on the third flight of New Glenn. This massive rocket has already been stood tall and rock-hard on the launch pad since April 13th, with its first-reuse booster proudly named “Never Tell Me The Odds.” Sitting on top is the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block 2 satellite, and the launch window could open as soon as April 17th.Jeff Bezos couldn’t resist showing off — he posted a dramatic nighttime photo of the fully vertical rocket, dramatically lit up from all sides like a superstar on stage. And the flex worked. Elon Musk replied with a simple but classy “Looks good,” while even NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman chimed in: “Going to be a great month for big rockets.” Looks like the space race just got a little more friendly… or at least, a little more lit. How Blue Origin Tried to Embarrass SpaceX Starship... It Backfired Horribly That said, it’s still unclear whether this flight will actually lift off as early as April 17th. As of the 15th, Blue Origin has only completed a launch rehearsal, and a static fire test is expected soon, as announced on X. And this isn’t just a routine checkbox. A static fire is a critical, mandatory step for any rocket, not just Starship. But in this case, it carries even more weight. Because this will mark New Glenn’s very first booster reflight after roughly five months. The static fire of the seven BE-4 engines is one of the most important checks before the FAA grants launch approval. It verifies the entire system, including propellant flow, ignition, thrust vectoring, post-refurbishment performance, and integration with the launch pad.On top of that, Blue Origin also experienced an anomaly on April 9th at their Rocket Park facility on Merritt Island. During a routine pressure test on the second stage GS2 tank of New Glenn, the tank suddenly ruptured. The force was strong enough to blow off the facility’s large sliding door and cause significant damage inside the enclosed structure. Fortunately, it was only a test tank rather than a complete flight-ready second stage. Still, the incident was quite serious because the test article was built to the same design as the actual flight hardware. This means the company will likely need to proceed with extra caution ahead of the upcoming launch. === Subcribe Alpha Tech: / @alphatech4966 ===
