Bezos Seeks to Fill NASA Contract Gaps Left by SpaceX
After Calls with Trump and White House Visits
There is analysis suggesting that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, could become the biggest beneficiary of the conflict between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. On June 25 (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, is moving to fill the gap left by Musk’s company, SpaceX.
According to the WSJ, Bezos spoke with President Trump at least twice in June. Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, recently visited the White House to meet with Susie Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff and a key figure in the Trump administration. According to sources, Bezos and other Blue Origin executives discussed the pursuit of a crewed lunar mission during Trump’s term and requested an expansion of government contracts in their conversations with President Trump and his aides. This took place just days after President Trump and Musk ended their relationship earlier this month.
Bezos and Musk have fiercely competed in the space sector for years, but SpaceX has outpaced Blue Origin and established itself as a major contractor for NASA. Sources told the WSJ that Blue Origin executives have been concerned since last summer that the close relationship between Musk and President Trump could affect their ability to win government contracts. The rift between President Trump and Musk has now become an opportunity for Bezos and Blue Origin.
Last month, President Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, Musk’s recommended candidate for NASA Administrator. Afterwards, when Musk criticized President Trump’s proposed tax cut legislation, Trump warned that Musk’s companies could suffer as a result. The once close relationship between the two has continued to deteriorate.
According to a White House official, Bezos has been making efforts in recent months to win President Trump’s favor. He even invited President Trump to his wedding, which is scheduled for June 26. During Trump’s first term, Bezos faced backlash after criticizing the president through The Washington Post, which he owns. However, he has recently refrained from publicly supporting Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election, and Amazon is producing a documentary film about Trump’s wife, Melania, in an effort to curry favor with the president.
According to the WSJ, the White House, Blue Origin, and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment on this matter.
However, SpaceX still leads in launch and space mission capabilities and continues to secure more government contracts than Blue Origin. In April, SpaceX won a $5.9 billion contract from the U.S. Space Force, while Blue Origin secured only $2.4 billion. To surpass SpaceX in winning government business, Blue Origin must prove that it can reliably and regularly launch its own rockets.
The WSJ reported that SpaceX and Blue Origin are expected to compete for several major government contracts, including space projects related to President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative and the Mars project, which the White House has proposed NASA pursue.
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