How does Blue Origin's initial deployment strategy contrast with SpaceX's crew focus?
Answer
Prioritizing establishing heavy-lift capacity first
The strategic approach taken by Blue Origin with New Glenn appears to be more measured and methodical regarding crew integration compared to some primary competitors like SpaceX. While SpaceX transitioned relatively quickly toward crewed missions after proving Falcon 9 capability, New Glenn's initial timeline emphasizes establishing and proving its heavy-lift capacity first. This strategy prioritizes building a long track record of safe, successful, uncrewed cargo launches to establish statistical reliability before investing the considerable resources required for formal human-rating certification.
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