Bezos has deep pockets.
He does, and seems pretty well tied into the existing space-industrial-complex. I think he's really there to be a champion for the legacy system to compete with Musk. Don't get me wrong Musk is also part of the cartel, but he has a different philosophy and different goals than the previously established players and has caused them major embarrassment with his success.
Spot on. I watched the factory tours with Musk and Bezos and the contrast is striking. Bezos' factory is too polished, almost designed for tours. There's no sense of urgency, probably because he knows he'll get a contract regardless (like Boeing).
Yep, I toured the Kent, WA facility multiple times when I was in college, and it was the same. It's obvious that some amount of work has been and is being done there, but it's too clean and no sense of urgency. I was excited about the New Glenn when they first released the Payload User's Guide, but then it just never led to anything. In a competitive environment that's usually a sign of failure to roll out a successful product.
💯 It's already been three years since Captain Kirk got to float weightless for a few minutes. 😂