The Rivalry Between SpaceX and Blue Origin: SpaceX Won

Well it all started after the retirement of the Space Shuttle program. Honestly at first I worried about the future of space R&D since other countries are following closely behind us, but I guess the anxiety is unnecessary now. Thanks to the announcement of NASA’s commercial lease, the launch complex is open to commercial use. The two biggest bidders, SpaceX and Blue Origin, submitted their proposals as to how they utilized the launch pad.

Going through the year-long protests and controversies, whether you are team SpaceX or team Blue Origin, SpaceX won this time. Today, SpaceX signed the Launch Complex 39A Lease with NASA for 20 years. The pad will be modified to fit the launch of Falcon 9 and other launch vehicles. To add on to that, SpaceX is going to construct a Horizontal Integration Facility on the site, as opposed to the Vertical Integration Facility NASA used in the last Space Shuttle mission. I was going to say no matter which team won, it is crucial to include billionaires in the Space Race. We need new blood in the game so that we are equipped for space discovery and challenges.