Jeff Bezos stated that he does not believe SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will use his close ties with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to undermine his space company Blue Origin, adding that he feels “very optimistic” about the incoming administration’s space agenda.
Bezos said, “Elon has been very clear that he’s doing this for the public interest and not for his personal gain. And I take him at face value.” Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, rivals SpaceX in the space industry. He made the comments in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where he was attending the debut launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. This 30-story rocket is expected to challenge SpaceX’s market dominance and mark Blue Origin’s entry into the satellite launch business.
Bezos also stated that he believes both the moon and Mars missions are essential. “What we shouldn’t do is start and stop things. We should continue with the lunar program for sure,” he added.
In Trump’s second term as president, major changes are expected in NASA’s moon program, with a greater focus on Mars missions. Amazon has contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and will stream the event on its Prime Video service. Bezos, who has met with Trump, mentioned that they “really haven’t talked about space.”
