| 15m of Googling after seeing the press on this announce - definitely not pretending to be an expert. But - let's assume that cursory look at primary clients is correct. It appears they're all government agencies. They don't sell much to private business. The things that make SpaceX and Blue Origin so interesting is that it utterly bucks the government procurement model, making them riskier ventures. SpaceX and Blue Origin maintain their own product roadmaps, based on their own reading of the marketplace, what technology can do, and their long-term vision. These other contractors, like Lockheed, General Dynamics, and apparently Dynetics, have an inherently mercenary business model. They only respond to contracts already out on the market - there's little to no incentive for them to blaze a path forward. They win on graft, running up the bill on cost-plus contracts, and taking advantage of the procurement process that wastes trillions. The defining question to me - why didn't Boeing or Lockheed build reusable rockets? Blue Moon started work far before this contract awarded a dime. Same with Starship. These guys have made their money off SLS - a snakepit of corruption and waste. I'd feel the same way about any company that's primarily a government contractor. There's a big difference in approach between the military-industrial companies, and "New Space" companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX. |