Can Blue Origin compete with SpaceX?

Blue Origin lags behind SpaceX’s accomplishments. A larger New Glenn rocket currently under development will compete with SpaceX and other rocket companies for sending satellites to orbit, but it will not make its maiden flight until at least 2022, two years later than originally announced.

Has Blue Origin put anything in space?

On July 20, 2021, Blue Origin sent its first crewed mission into space via its New Shepard rocket and spaceflight system. The flight was approximately 10 minutes, and crossed the Karman Line.

Who owns the Blue Origin rocket?

NASA greenlighted Blue Origin in December for future Earth observation missions, planetary expeditions, and satellite launches with its New Glenn rocket, taking the space company one step closer to the stars.

Does SpaceX have patents?

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX says, “We have essentially no patents. Our primary long-term competition is China. If we published patents, it would be farcical, because the Chinese would just use them as a recipe book.”

What was the patent dispute between SpaceX and Blue Origin?

“They lost the battle,” Rush said of SpaceX and its denied petition, “but they were told they would win the war.” At the heart of the dispute is U.S. Patent 8,678,321, titled, “Sea landing of space launch vehicles and associated systems and methods” and awarded to Blue Origin in March 2014.

What was the patent awarded to Blue Origin?

At the heart of the dispute is U.S. Patent 8,678,321, titled, “Sea landing of space launch vehicles and associated systems and methods” and awarded to Blue Origin in March 2014. The patent covers methods of landing and recovering portions of launch vehicles on platforms located at sea or other bodies of water.

When did SpaceX file for inter partes review?

SpaceX filed a petition for inter partes review with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2014, citing prior art that it argued invalidated Blue Origin’s patent.

When did the SpaceX Starlink patent come out?

As Michael Sheetz highlights, a number of patent filings related to Starlink antennas were published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 3, 2020. The new round of patent filings highlight the maturity of SpaceX’s Starlink service that is currently in public beta for users in northwestern parts of the United States.