Elon Musk of SpaceX may have to step aside from this one in the billionaire’s race to space as Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin make it billions of dollars in NASA money for his first flight to space.
Blue Origin had been lobbying for a funding surplus to be the second company that NASA will choose. Blue Origin complained about SpaceX’s selection, stating it is “unfair”. The filed an official complaint with the Government Accountability Office.
Jeff Bezos will spend just 3 minutes in space, with his brother, without a pilot on July 20th, 2020. Plans are to take tourists up in space with Blue Origin, a company he founded in 2000.
CNN reported, “Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule, which is fully autonomous and does not require a pilot, has never had an explosive mishap in 15 test flights.”
The Innovation and Competition Act drew bipartisan support giving America’s competitive edge by investing billions of dollars in scientific and technological innovations. The bill will also invest in artificial intelligence, computer chips and robotics.
From the White House – Innovation and Competition Act
“I applaud the United States Senate – led by the dedicated efforts of Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Todd Young, Maria Cantwell, and Roger Wicker – for coming together to pass the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. This legislation addresses key elements that were included in my American Jobs Plan, and I am encouraged by this bipartisan effort to advance those elements separately through this bill.
It is long past time that we invest in American workers and American innovation. Along with the American Jobs Plan, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act would make generational investments in research and development and advanced manufacturing to help us grow critical industries and win the jobs of the future. It will empower us to discover, build, and enhance tomorrow’s most vital technologies – from artificial intelligence to computer chips, to the lithium batteries used in smart devices and electric vehicles – right here in the United States. By strengthening our innovation infrastructure, we can lay the foundation for the next generation of American jobs and American leadership in manufacturing and technology.”
The bill allocates about $250 billion to American scientific and technical research and $10 billion for the development of private crewed moon landers for NASA.
A giant tech-and-science bill the Senate passed on Tuesday could give Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, a boost in its rivalry with SpaceX.
The sweeping US Innovation and Competition Act would pump $250 billion into research in science and technology in the US.
PhotoSteve Jurvetson
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