Jeff Bezos has ambitions to take control of space with Blue Origin. But it looks like Bezos and Blue Origin are trying to realize their dreams by mimicking competitors, especially Elon Musk and SpaceX.
This was revealed through a recent report from Ars Technica which stated that Blue Origin was developing a new rocket project called Project Jarvis. Apparently the project was developed to mimic SpaceX's Starship rocket system, including their rapidly conducting test systems that often end in explosions.
Ars Technica reported that Blue Origin employees even reminded Bezos not to emulate SpaceX and Musk's chaotic strategy of not succeeding.
Ars Technica initially investigated rumors that Blue Origin was overhauling its long-delayed New Glenn rocket system to replace its material from aluminum alloy to stainless steel.
This strategy is similar to that of SpaceX which makes Starship rockets out of stainless steel materials. The rumors turned out to be untrue, but Blue Origin reportedly would make a stainless steel fuel tank.
Blue Origin also plans to make the upper and second stage of the New Glenn rocket reusable to save costs. It's also similar to SpaceX's ambition of designing a Super Heavy booster and a second stage Starship to be reused every time a mission is completed.
In the investigation, Ars Technica discovered internal problems at Blue Origin caused by Bezos' obsession with the success of Elon Musk and SpaceX. Bezos reportedly frequently sees Starship rocket tests and asks Blue Origin employees to do the same.
Blue Orgin employees tried to warn Bezos that the way SpaceX tested the Starship prototype quickly, and sometimes ended in an explosion, would not fit the way Blue Origin works, as quoted from Futurism, Saturday (7/31/2021).
Bezos instead responded to his employees' warnings by keeping some of the development secret and asked team leaders at Blue Origin to innovate quickly without the need to think about management and logistics.
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk's rivalry in developing space technology has become a common secret. The two companies often clash over contracts from NASA.
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