Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin scored a new milestone with its 35th New Shepard launch and also drew praise from rival Elon Musk as the billionaire space race intensifies.
Bezos Shares Space View, Musk Responds
On Friday, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN founder Bezos posted footage from Blue Origin's latest suborbital flight, showcasing views captured by a new free-flying camera.
"What a view. From our new free flying camera — deployed on yesterday's New Shepard mission," Bezos wrote on X, formerly Twitter, noting that the "bubble" effect came from the camera's dual-lens system.
SpaceX CEO Musk quickly chimed in and said, "Epic view."
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Blue Origin's NS-35 Mission Lifts Off
The remarks came after Blue Origin launched its NS-35 mission on Sept. 18, following nearly four weeks of delays tied to booster avionics issues.
The uncrewed flight lifted off from the company's West Texas site at 9:01 a.m. EDT, carrying more than 40 research payloads.
Among them were 24 student experiments from NASA's TechRise Challenge, a program allowing middle and high school teams to design and launch projects on suborbital flights.
The reusable rocket and capsule climbed past the Kármán Line, the 62-mile boundary of space, before returning safely. The booster touched down about 7.5 minutes after launch, while the capsule parachuted back roughly three minutes later, wrapping the mission in 10 minutes and 14 seconds.
With NS-35, Blue Origin has now flown more than 200 payloads aboard New Shepard.
Blue Origin Vs SpaceX: Rivalry Deepens
The success adds momentum for Blue Origin as it seeks to close the gap with Musk's SpaceX.
In June, Bezos' company unveiled a vehicle designed to support future lunar and Mars missions. It previously led an all-women flight featuring Lauren Sánchez and pop star Katy Perry.
SpaceX, meanwhile, continues to dominate the industry with its Falcon rockets and Starship development.
The Federal Aviation Administration earlier approved more launches from its Texas site. Musk has predicted that SpaceX's commercial revenue will surpass NASA's budget next year.
Trump's Space Deregulation Push
In August, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Transportation Department and the FAA to ease launch and reentry rules.
The move was designed to eliminate "outdated, redundant, or overly restrictive rules" to help U.S. companies compete.
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