New Glenn reached orbit (left) but Starship exploded, raining debris (right) Blue Origin; SWNS
Compare these two scenes: on 16 January, Blue Origin鈥檚 New Glenn rocket triumphantly reached orbit for the first time, while SpaceX鈥檚 Starship burst into flames above the Atlantic Ocean. You might think that the established space company, Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX, has suffered a setback, while Jeff Bezos鈥檚 Blue Origin is in the ascendancy. The reality is more complicated, but it is true that SpaceX鈥檚 dominance may be under threat.
New Glenn鈥檚 launch comes after decades in development and numerous delays and…