Elon Musk Says Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Attempts “To Impede SpaceX’s Progress By Lawfare” 

A number of X users, including Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt, revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, has filed a comment to the Federal Aviation Administration, indicating that SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, should be limited for “environmental scrutiny due to their impact on the local environment and community.”

This suggests that Blue Origin is failing to innovate as its rocket program stalls. It must now resort to litigation as SpaceX, according to data from BryceTech, is the world’s leader in rocket launches and lifting mass to outer space, far outpacing entire countries, including Russia and China. 

For some context, SpaceX launched 525 spacecraft into orbit in the first quarter.

SpaceX launched about 429,125 kg of spacecraft upmass in the quarter, significantly outpacing China’s rocket program (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), which launched a measly 29,426 kg. 

Blue Origin was founded by Bezos in 2000. Two years later, Musk founded SpaceX, which achieved orbit in 2008. Since then, SpaceX has had hundreds of rocket launches and multiple crewed missions to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, Blue Origin has yet to achieve orbit in 2024. 

Year founded:
• Blue Origin: 2000
• SpaceX: 2002

Year when the company’s reached orbit:
• SpaceX: 2008
• Blue Origin: Never

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 25, 2024

Musk chimed in on Merritt’s screenshot of Blue Origin’s FAA comment: “An obviously disingenuous response. Not cool of them to try (for the third time) to impede SpaceX’s progress by lawfare.” 

An obviously disingenuous response.

Not cool of them to try (for the third time) to impede SpaceX’s progress by lawfare.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2024

The billionaire added: 

“Sue Origin”

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2024

Besides Blue Origin, the Biden administration has weaponized federal agencies against SpaceX to impede launches.

Here’s our reporting from last fall: 

‘Weaponized Govt Agencies’ “Don’t Wish Good Things For Me” – Musk Blames Biden Admin For Ukraine-Starlink Block
Agency Overreach? Musk’s Starship Rocket Launch Delayed Over Fish & Wildlife Service’s ‘Environmental Survey’

Late last year, Musk described the apparent ‘beef’ that the Biden administration has had with him. In September, he told All-In Podcast host entrepreneur David Sacks:

“…there does seem to be some significant increase in the weaponization of government and really sort of misuse of prosecutorial discretion in many areas… I think this is really a dangerous thing for there to be partisan politics with government agencies.”

Musk continued:

“I don’t think the whole administration has it out for me.

“But I think there’s probably aspects of the administration… or aspects of interests aligned with President Biden who probably do not wish good things for me.”

More recently, Musk commented on X that the federal government wasted tens of billions of dollars without connecting any homes in rural America to the internet. He said SpaceX’s Starlink could’ve hooked up rural America for a fraction of the cost. 

This government program is an outrageous waste of taxpayer money and is utterly failing to serve people in need https://t.co/ImCur1CBCq

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2024

Here’s what X users are saying about Blue Origin’s FAA comment:

Tell me you’re desperate and falling behind with out telling me .

— Timbo Slice (@TimLukeAnderson) June 25, 2024

lamest excuse ever @JeffBezos

— 🏴‍☠️ TT 🏴‍☠️ (@TeslaTrillion) June 25, 2024

Blue Origin’s intent is to stifle their competition.@JeffBezos is a very jealous and greedy man

— Kevin-Dean (@KdeanGames) June 25, 2024

No one can have as low an impact on the local environment as Blue Origin. They never launch anything. 🙄

— Patrick Massie (@PMassie74) June 25, 2024

Blue Origin continuing to compete in court rather than on engineering. Lame.

— Off Grid Pete (@OGridPete) June 25, 2024

Blue Origin third attempt to impede SpaceX’s progress by lawfare.

In 2014, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin claimed ownership of patents involving droneship landings that SpaceX uses to reuse its Boosters (LEFT), even though this technique has been around for 70 years as shown in the… pic.twitter.com/idomCLZke3

— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) June 25, 2024