Bezos asks Trump for additional government contracts for Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos engages with Trump in pursuit of additional government contracts for Blue Origin. Blue Origin founder, Jeff Bezos, engaged in discussions with US President Donald Trump on at least two occasions this month, as he seeks to leverage the ongoing rivalry between Trump and SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, to obtain additional government contracts. In addition to Bezos’s conversation with Trump, Blue Origin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dave Limp, engaged with Trump’s chief of staff at the White House, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The initiatives undertaken by Bezos and his team emerged shortly after the observable tensions between Trump and Musk in early June. Elon Musk, previously a close ally of Trump and one of his top advisers, has expressed criticism of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ put forth by the Trump administration, labeling it a spending package that would exacerbate the deficit and reverse the initiatives undertaken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he once led. The discord between the two intensified following Trump’s expression of disappointment towards Musk, coupled with a threat to terminate government contracts associated with his companies.
Bezos’s Blue Origin and SpaceX have been in competition for several years; however, SpaceX has significantly outpaced Blue Origin, launching rockets at an unprecedented rate and establishing itself as the leading contractor for NASA. The report indicated that a number of Blue Origin’s executives expressed concern regarding the growing closeness between Trump and Musk, particularly as the latter secured government contracts. Their ongoing feud provided a measure of relief and presented a possible opportunity. The report noted, with references, that Blue Origin CEO Limp engaged in discussions with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in mid-June, a meeting that was preceded and followed by communications with Bezos and Trump.
During his phone conversations with Bezos, Trump articulated his aspiration to witness a crewed mission to the moon while in office. With the feud presenting a chance for Bezos to court Trump, the former has not spared any effort in recent months. He even extended an invitation to Trump for his celebrity-filled wedding set for this weekend in Venice; however, Trump declined because of prior commitments, the report indicated, referencing White House officials. While Bezos and his team have been striving to secure government contracts, a significant challenge that remains for them is proving that they can operate their robust orbital rocket with reliability and consistency. In January of this year, Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket, achieving orbital insertion on its inaugural attempt. While the company anticipated executing its second mission in spring, it has fallen short of this objective and is now targeting a launch in mid-August.
In contrast, SpaceX intends to execute 170 launches this year. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets serve as a reliable asset for US government clients; nonetheless, the company indicates that a significant portion of those 170 flights will be dedicated to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network. In April this year, SpaceX secured a $5.9 billion contract from a Space Force command for 28 flights scheduled in the forthcoming years. Another provider, United Launch Alliance, garnered slightly less than SpaceX for 19 missions. Blue Origin received a substantial allocation of $2.4 billion for the execution of seven launches.
