Blue origin - until very recently - was known for providing space tourism. People with a bit of money to burn were taken aboard a flight that let them experience weightlessness.
But the purpose of these missions was to slowly grow the company's ability to get into space. To test out their rockets, and their reusability.
And so they started launching satellites, and in early November had a rather remarkable moment where the booster returned and "missed" the drone ship it was to land on by a few yards or so. The rockets fired and it hung in the air while the drone ship moved underneath it, then it landed successfully.
Next stop is a moon venture. They are planning missions in 2026, because they feel they are ready.
The rockets they'll use are purpose built, and not as heavy as starship, and won't require the complexity of refueling.
Okay, game on. Let's see what Jeff Bezos can do.
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