Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson captivated the world in 2021 as their suborbital tourism companies raced to conduct the first commercial passenger spaceflights. But behind the spectacle lurk two very different visions for our off-world future.
As an aerospace industry analyst, I‘ve had the inside scoop on both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic for years. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll analyze how their technologies, achievements and ambitions stack up side-by-side as we enter this new era of commercial space travel.
Overview
| Parameter | Blue Origin | Virgin Galactic |
|---|---|---|
| Founder | Jeff Bezos | Richard Branson |
| Founded | 2000 | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Kent, WA | Mojave, CA |
| Funding | Over $1B self-funded by Bezos | $1B+ mix of self, investors |
| Technology | Vertical-launch reusable rocket | Air-launched horizontal spaceplane |
| Max Altitude | 100 km (Karman line) | 80 km |
| Crew Capacity | 6 seats | 8 seats |
| Ticket Price | $250,000 | $450,000 |
While New Shepard promises a shorter, higher flight, SpaceShipTwo offers a more luxurious, aircraft-like experience. But beyond these surface-level differences lies two starkly different businesses beneath – one focused on transforming life on Earth through space industries, while the other seeks to inspire masses by making the astronomical accessible.
History and Milestones
Both companies have taken a slow and steady pace towards commercial operations, focusing considerable time on rigorous testing and concept validation. However, their progression timelines and key milestones differ:
Blue Origin Timeline
- 2000: Company founded by Jeff Bezos
- 2006: First rocket-powered test flight (Goddard vehicle)
- 2012: Switches focus to current New Shepard rocket
- 2016: First rocket landing and escape test flight
- 2021: First commercial crewed flight with Jeff Bezos aboard
Key Milestones: 15 successful unmanned test flights | $100M in contracted research payloads
Virgin Galactic Timeline
- 2004: Company founded by Richard Branson
- 2008: First rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo
- 2014: Tragic crash resulting in death of co-pilot Michael Alsbury
- 2018: Two pilots conduct first crewed test flight, reach 80 km
- 2021: First fully crewed spaceflight with Richard Branson
Key Milestones: 3 successful crewed flights | $80M in private astronaut reservations
While Virgin Galactic‘s quarter-century head start in business proved beneficial for capital and operations scaling, Blue Origin‘s single-minded focus on advancing rocket technology appears to have paid dividends with New Shepard. However, Virgin Galactic‘s aircraft-like operations provide room for a significantly scaled service catering to masses.
Mission vs Vision
While most summaries portray these companies as direct competitors in the sector of suborbital space tourism, deeper analysis shows stark differences in actual mission focus and long-term vision that influence their near-term actions:
Blue Origin Mission
To "build a road to space so our children can build the future." Company principles include using reusable architectures to lower costs of access to space dramatically. Their stated goal is millions living and working in space to benefit Earth.
Virgin Galactic Mission
To become the world‘s first commercial spaceline and "perform transformative science missions and conduct pragmatic astronaut Readiness programs" while connecting people globally to the experience of space travel.
Vision Comparison
- Blue Origin: Space infrastructure and industries supporting mass space migration
- Virgin Galactic: Inspiring wonder and driving scientific impact through affordable access
These divergent priorities manifest themselves in the companies‘ technology development and commercialization decisions. While Virgin Galactic races toward scaling up mass-market space tourism, Blue Origin continues methodical rocket testing to incrementally expand capabilities.
Launch Systems Technology Comparison
Given their distinct objectives, each company has innovated unique launch systems and vehicles:
Blue Origin‘s New Shepard System
- Fully reusable vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) rocket system
- 60 ft high, 10 ft in diameter
- Uses BE-3 liquid hydrogen/oxygen engine
- 94,500 lbs of thrust
- Flies autonomously to 106 km peak altitude
- Crew Capsule: 5.5m diameter, 530 ft^3 pressurized
- 6 seats with massive windows, escape motor
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
- Twin-fuselage carrier jet launches winged spaceplane
- Rocket powered launch at 45,000 ft
- Hybrid nitrous-oxide and rubber solid fuel motor
- Generates 94,000 lbs max thrust for 60 secs
- Reaches 80 km altitude apogee as glider
- 1 pilot + up to 8 passengers aboard
- Spacious cabin with aircraft-style seating
On paper, New Shepard beats VSS Unity on every technical metric – altitude, cabin space, flight duration, rocket efficiency and reusability. However, Virgin Galactic’s fundamentals enable significantly higher volume at lower operating cost.
Achievements So Far
Given Blue Origin‘s more advanced rocketry, some are surprised by Virgin Galactic‘s milestone of beating them to first commercial passenger flight by just 9 days. But Virgin Galactic followed a fundamentally different path:
Blue Origin Achievements
- 15 successful New Shepard test flights before crewed launch
- Dozens of contracted microgravity payload flights
- First commercial crew in July 2021 on NS-16
- Flown 31 people to date across 5 human flights
- Working on New Glenn orbital rocket and Moon lander
Virgin Galactic Achievements
- 2016-2021: Completed 4 crewed flights of VSS Unity
- 2018: First commercial crew to space, crossing 50 mile boundary
- July 2021: Conducted fully crewed test spaceflight
- 600+ Future Astronaut ticket reservations
- Research experiments each flight for 10+ institutional clients
- Italian Air Force contract for human spaceflight training
Virgin Galactic chose to focus early energy on market development rather than technical milestones. While admirable bootstrap scrappiness, their series of delays and setbacks stretched development timeline over nearly two decades now. They hustled to get Branson himself on an early flight for bragging rights and PR splash.
Meanwhile, Bezos’ seemingly unlimited personal funding has allowed Blue Origin to eschew external capital and maintain laser focus on New Shepard as a technical stepping stone to much greater ambitions in orbital flight.
Passenger Experience Comparison
Given the dramatically different technologies and flight profiles involved, passenger experience differs greatly between the two vehicles:
Blue Origin‘s New Shepard Passenger Experience
The crew capsule features six reclined seats with individual windows sized for sweeping views. After rising to altitude atop the booster, the capsule detaches and continues ascend past 100 km while passengers unbuckle to enjoy 3-4 minutes of breathtaking weightlessness with a stunning view of Earth before the capsule returns under parachutes.
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Experience
SpaceShipTwo is more like a luxury private jet than capsule or rocket. Up to 8 passengers buckle into aesthetically designed reclining seats with personal windows. At apogee they can unbuckle for 4 minutes of weightlessness while floating about the cabin and gazing at Earth below. The spaceship then glides home for an airport runway landing.
While New Shepard provides a more dynamic ascent and slightly longer zero G, SpaceShipTwo offers a longer, more leisurely and comfortable passenger experience with aircraft-style amenities and plentiful personal space.
Costs: Ticket Prices
In mid-2022, here is what it costs to buy a seat aboard these rockets:
- New Shepard Ticket: $250,000 per seat
- SpaceShipTwo Ticket: $450,000 per seat
Virgin Galactic‘s ticket used to cost $250,000 until they doubled pricing in response to swelling demand. Both companies suggest over time high flight cadence could see prices drop below $50,000.
However, experts predict suborbital flight costs are unlikely to become as low as some futurists envision. These remain dangerous endeavors with high operations costs despite reusability. The market can likely bear higher pricing, especially given the exclusivity of early explorer-class offerings.
Future Goals and Roadmap
While Virgin Galactic moves forward on SpaceShip III to expand suborbital flight volume and capabilities, Blue Origin maintains a long-term focus on infrastructure supporting orbital industries, cargo services and eventual settlements:
Virgin Galactic‘s 5-10 Year Plan
- Finish SpaceShipTwo test flight program with FAA license
- Open Spaceport America terminal at New Mexico operation hub
- Complete fit-out of spaceship interiors for commercial service
- Expand WhiteKnight carrier fleet from 2 to at least 5
- Begin flying experiments and tourism passengers from 2023
- Construct additional spaceports across globe
- Develop larger SpaceShip III design for greater capacity
- 250+ suborbital spaceflights per year ultimately
Blue Origin‘s Vision Through 2030s
- Expand flight rate and reliability of New Shepard program
- Deploy key space station gateway and depot modules
- Start flying bulk cargo delivery aboard New Glenn orbital rocket
- Conduct commercial ISS crew rotation and support Artemis
- Enable lunar industries like propellant mining with reusable lander
- Drive progress toward millions living and working in space
- Launch and operate private space stations in various destinations
- Lead infrastructure seeding for permanent settlements like Mars
Given billionaire backer Bezos‘ patient long-term approach and $hundred billion personal fortune, Blue Origin seems poised to fulfill this ambitious vision and catalyze the migration of polluting industry off-Earth. Branson‘s more tourism & science-centric approach has nearer-term business case viability but lacks the sweeping vision to truly transform humanity‘s place in space.
Conclusion: Key Takeaways
While Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic both promise awe-inspiring but fleeting glimpses of Earth from the blackness of space, they represent very different visions for humanity‘s future among the stars.
Based on my industry expertise and analysis of their key development attributes including mission, technology, achievements and plans, here are my key takeaways:
- Blue Origin leads in technical rocketry capabilities but lags in early business operations
- Virgin Galactic pioneered early market development but faced repeated stumbles
- Each317X‘s passenger experience offers unique advantages
- Ticket pricing remains stratospheric for now but could eventually decline
- Their founders‘ ambitions appear aligned with divergent civilizational outcomes
In short, while Virgin Galactic seeks to inspirationally yet passingly unite global masses in space‘s wondrous shared experience, Blue Origin works to fundamentally transition industry and labor off-Earth as the first step toward the stars.
Both companies will impress early explorer passengers eager for the trip of a lifetime. But ask yourself whether your personal ideals align more with using space to save Earth or as our species‘ ultimate destiny.
Where we go next might come down to that very choice we each make today.
